The Lies Continue
by Ven'aranar Angel
Summary: New threats appear, new problems surface, and something thought impossible has happened once again. Twitch has to face her demons, but will her brothers accept them, or condemn her for them? Sequel to 'Sea of Faces'.
1. Old Stories

_A.N. ~ so, here's the sequel for 'Sea of Faces'! I hope you guys will like it, and please remember that, despite about an hour of begging, George Lucas wouldn't let me own Star Wars. Therefore, I only own my ONs (Original Nouns), savvy? Okay, so, please enjoy the first chapter!_

* * *

_The nightmares are getting worse._

I stumble downstairs and rub my eyes, yawning.

_Why am I dreaming of horrific battlefields? __And one soldier, he takes off his helmet and has my face. Sure, he doesn't have my hair; his is extremely short and yellow, but his face is mine._

All the soldiers are dressed in white armour. Blue and red lights flash during the dreams and I can smell burning flesh. I don't know how I know what the smell is, I just do.

And I can remember something hitting me. I always feel searing pain when that happens. It's always the same dream, just a little more vivid each time I have it.

"Akinta, have you been having nightmares again?" My mom is in the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah—I mean, no! I'm fine." I stutter.

"Always so quick to hide vulnerability." My sister comes in. We look nothing alike, straight down to her blond hair and green eyes. Her nose is straight, too. She looks just like my mom. We always joke that I must be adopted.

"I'm not! It's just that dreams aren't important." I protest.

"Dreams are always important." Mom reminds me. I don't know why, but I just can't accept that.

"Maybe it would help if a certain someone would tell us what's going on in her head." Clara reprimands.

"No one needs to know what I'm thinking! I like—"

"Being unpredictable. Yeah, we know."

"Girls." Our mom scolds. We start putting together breakfast before sitting at the table. We fold our hands and bow our heads in prayer.

"D'haynna, we thank you for this food. Amen." Mom says before we dig in. "Don't forget, we're taking in that soldier today. I want you on your best behaviour. No. Arguing." She orders. I salute.

"Yes ma'am." I munch on a gruffle.

"And he'll be here in an hour." Clara chokes on her water while I shrug uncaringly. My sister is makeup crazy, boy crazy, all-out teenage girl. She'll want to get ready and look her best. I don't know how we're sisters.

We finish breakfast and put away dishes, washing and drying them quickly. I go upstairs and brush my shoulder-length hair before changing out of my sleeping garments into a comfortable black tee-shirt and pair of army-grey/green shorts.

I hurry downstairs again to tidy up the living room. My hands start twitching soon. I have way too much free time on my hands.

"I'll be outside." I yell before heading to the front door.

"Don't get too dirty!" Mom calls back. I go out onto the front lawn, then walk into the forest nearby, slipping amongst the trees quietly. I check my watch. Thirty minutes until the soldier comes.

Once the war ended, the clones were released from service. Some civilians have opened up their homes to the troopers, like my mom has.

I've never seen a clone before. I'm curious. But right now, I'm going to start looking around for the nest sure to be found around here somewhere. I'd seen a pair of hoverbirds, so they must be nearby.

I walk over a fallen tree bridging a creek. Halfway across, I stop. Images and sounds tear through my head. I can hear someone yelling. I see red, both from blaster fire and blood.

The flash is so vivid, I lose my balance and tumble into the stream. I yelp and drag myself out, squelching through the mud along the bank. I look at my mud-smeared boots and soaked clothes. Mom is going to kill me.

I jog to a large, flat boulder that I found when I was eleven and stretch out in the sunlight, letting it warm me. I dry off for fifteen minutes before jogging back to the house.

I come out of the tree line just as a speeder pulls up. One of the local farmers is driving. In the passenger seat is who I assume is the soldier. I can't make out his face, but I can see a nearly bald head with yellow hair masking part of it.

_Strange coincidence? Must be. _

I walk over while the clone gets out and the speeder leaves. The soldier has a pack on his shoulders. I see the man's face and freeze. A figment of my dream plays through my head.

I'd seen this clone in my dream. Just after the white-hot pain. He runs over to me and drags me into cover before removing his helmet. He always said, _can you hear me? Hang in there, —_

"Twitch?" The soldier asks, staring at me like I'm a ghost.

_How'd he know what that was going through my head?_

"What?" I raise an eyebrow, not understanding why he just said that, but we're interrupted when the door opens and my mom comes out, followed by Clara.

"Hi. You must be Captain Rex." The name nags the back of my mind, but I can't remember where I've heard it before.

"Please, just call me Rex."

"Thank you. I'm Mary, and these are my daughters, Clara and Akinta." We both shake hands with him. His grasp is rough and strong.

_How is the man from my nightmares here? And he looks so much like me._

"Kint, it looks like we've found your twin." Clara teases.

"Oh, be quiet." I retort irritably.

"Girls!" We clamp our mouths shut. I stiffen immediately. That tone always freezes me up. I hate it. Rex is watching me with a bewildered look in his eyes.

"Please, Rex, come in."

"Thank you." He takes off his boots once we're inside. We all follow suit before mom starts showing the Captain around. Clara nudges me with her elbow.

"Seriously, he looks _just_ like you."

"You can keep saying it, it won't become true." I mutter.

"Same hairline, nose, mouth, jawline, eyes, though yours are more golden. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Fine, we share some similarities. Your point?" She raises her hands in surrender.

"Nothing. I'm just saying—"

"Akinta, feed Wailin. He's asking for food." Mom calls.

"He's _always_ asking for food, mom!" I yell back, though I'm already heading to the kitchen. A black tom cat with white-tipped paws and underbelly comes in, yowling for his next meal.

I stoop down and scratch his ears, earning a loud, raspy purr that turns back into meows as soon as I stop. "Yes, I am feeding you now. You don't have to keep yelling!" I say in a tone just as loud as the cat's.

I grab a small dessert bowl and go to the fridge, opening it to grab a container filled with mushy cat food. I fork a mouse-sized helping into the bowl before putting it down for Wailin. While he devours the meal, I put away the container and wash off the fork, along with my hands.

Once Wailin is done, I wash his bowl and put it away, scooping the cat into my arms and rubbing his neck with my thumb. He purrs happily as I go to the living room and sit down on a couch.

A limp hinders my progress, my right leg sending pain signals to my brain. A long scar stretching from my knee pit to the outside of my right ankle is the cause. Scars mark my arms, back, and legs as well.

When I was little, my mom says I'd been attacked by a bad man who had scarred me and caused my leg permanent damage. I can usually ignore it, though there are some days it makes itself noticeable.

I start massaging the sore area while stroking Wailin. Mom and Rex come in and the cat leaps from my lap, hurrying away. "Wimp." I grumble, glaring after the finicky pet.

"Did I do something?" Rex immediately asks, watching where the cat had gone.

"No, no. Wailin is just afraid of men he hasn't met before." Mom explains.

"Strange thing is he doesn't mind women. No figuring that cat." I add. Clara comes in, plopping down beside me. My hand jerks and presses a sore spot. I wince and scowl at her.

"Sorry. Leg hurting?" She says.

"Not important." I shrug it off. I hear loud banging on the door and jump.

"Mary, you open this door!" A man yells. I reach behind the couch and pull out a slim metal pipe.

"Can I please hit him?" I beg.

"No. Stay here." Mom leaves and opens the door. I limp after her and watch from the hallway. My dad was divorced when I was three, but he's never accepted it. He's a drunk.

"What do you want, Greg?" She demands.

"You're taking in a soldier? I won't have a freak born from a bottle living with my children!" For some reason, I have an overwhelming urge to beat him for that.

"He isn't a freak and they are my children, too. Go away." He shoves her aside and storms over to me.

"Are you comfortable with this?" He demands.

"No, I'm not comfortable with you being here. Thanks for asking, now LEAVE!" I snap, glaring daggers at him. Dad catches sight of Rex.

"You! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!" I almost punch him. Liquor is on his breath.

"Dad, you're drunk. Go away." Clara pipes up. She's three years older than me, putting her at seventeen. We are, however, the same height; 5'5. Dad grabs my wrist and starts dragging me towards the door.

"I won't have you near it, Akinta." I break my arm away and sidekick him in the back.

"_HE_, YOU SHABUIR! Rex is a _HE_, and I'm not going anywhere with you!" I'm hit on the cheek. I stagger back and touch the spot on face. Mom wrenches dad away, shoving him towards the open door.

"Leave right this instant!" She thunders. Dad punches her and grabs me again. I struggle, but my leg is starting to really hurt. Rex sucker punches my father in the head, forcing him to release me.

The soldier quickly jabs his elbow into dad's rib cage before hauling him by the collar of his shirt to the porch and tossing him onto the driveway.

I kneel and clutch my leg, breathing between clenched teeth as pain springs up. Clara crouches beside me.

"Are you alright?" She frets.

"Yeah," I stand, favouring my leg, "it's just sore. I knew I should've held on to the pipe." I limp back to the couch and sit down. The door is closed and Rex comes back into the room with my mom.

"Kint, are you alright?" Mom demands.

"Fine. Next time he shows up, I'm using the pipe." Wailin meanders in, jumping onto my lap and rubbing his cold nose over my cheek. He must sense my discomfort and his protective instinct is winning out over his fear of Rex.

I stroke him, listening to the familiar purr. A loud meow that I can identify as his _I want more food!_ howl breaks the sound of contentment momentarily. "Oh, you suck-up." I chastise. He mrows and nuzzles me.

"What's a 'shabuir'?" Clara asks, carefully sounding out the foreign word.

"No idea. That just sort of...happened." I shrug.

"It's Mando'a." Rex catches our attention. "It's a strong insult."

"I don't study Mando'a. How do I know that?" I furrow my brow in confusion.

"Chance?" Clara guesses.

"Yeah, I just happened to form the syllables that happened to be in a language I've never heard of that happened to fit perfectly with the rest of the sentence." I reply sarcastically.

"So, you've been studying the language, then?" Mom accuses.

"No! I swear by D'haynna, I haven't." I protest. Wailin walking over and jumping onto Rex catches my attention. I gawk as the man-shy cat purrs and nuzzles the Captain.

"He never does that. Why is he doing that?" Clara gasps.

"No figuring that cat." I repeat my earlier statement. Rex looks at the pet uncertainly before stroking Wailin's back. The cat kneads the Captain's legs before lying down with a whoosh of extra-loud rumbling.

"D'haynna's Bow, he likes you! What did you do?" Clara mumbles. Loud explosions and men screaming echoes in my ears. I can see a terrifying, large white droid attacking the white-clad soldiers. The flash ends as quickly as it started. A hand waves in front of my eyes and I jump.

"He-ey, Coruscant to Akinta!" Clara sings.

"Five seconds to move your hand, sister dear." I warn. She impishly waits just until five seconds before stopping.

"Good to know you're just as annoying when your terrified as you are when you don't look like a ghost." She teases. I shoot her a glare.

"I'm not terrified. There's nothing to be scared _of_. Except for Wailin's apocalyptic behaviour." We glance at the cat still purring on Rex's lap. I raise my eyes to see the soldier's. He looks concerned. Mom's handheld holoprojector starts beeping.

"Excuse me. Kint, Clara, don't kill each other." She rushes out of the room. Clara's holoprojector also starts beeping. She checks who's calling and squeals.

"Have to go, too. Bye!" She tears out of the room, probably about to talk to a boy. I face palm.

"Dear D'haynna, I _must_ be adopted." I suddenly remember Rex is here and blush. "Sorry about my crazy family."

"It's fine, just...what are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about? I live here!"

"Twitch, are you undercover or on a mission?"

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Akinta." I look at him, utterly confused.

"Must be memory loss." He mutters to himself.

"I don't have memory loss! I can remember everything from right now to when I was five."

"And false memories. Your leg, it's hurt, right? There should be a wound going from the inside of your knee to the outside of your ankle, right?"

"Did mom tell you that?"

"No, I was there when you got it."

"I was just a little kid. You'd've had to be the one who hurt me to have been there."

"You got it three months ago. When you were fighting Grievous."

"I've never been in a battle before in my life. And how would I fight off General Grievous?"

"I'm sorry, Rex, but I have to go into town. Business." Mom interrupts.

"Nothing to be sorry for, ma'am."

"Mary." She corrects before bustling to the front door and leaving.

"Dweeb, I'm going to be in my room for a while." Clara yells.

"See you next month!" I shoot back. That leaves me with Rex. He goes to the landing and comes back with a holoprojector. He places it on the coffee table and activates it.

A girl flickers into existence. She has short, tousled hair and holsters on either side of her hips. She's holding two blaster pistols, firing. On her arms are gauntlets with blades coming from the outside of her arms. She looks over her shoulder and I see my face. My mouth parts slightly as I watch her.

"Tail, I need a droid popper." She—I shout. A small orb is thrown to her and she tosses it out of view. A loud roaring sigh is heard and she holsters her guns, blocking a lightsaber.

She flips back to avoid another one and a lightsaber scores down her right leg, just in the way my injury is placed. She lands in a kneel, clutching her bleeding limb. She dodges a swipe from Grievous and a human Jedi attacks the droid.

That's when a shot hits the girl's shoulder and she falls over with a screech. The camera jiggles as the one holding it runs over to her. The person glances to the side, revealing droids. Then he drags the girl into cover, just like in my dream. The camera is moved as what I assume is a helmet is taken off.

"Can you hear me? Hang in there, Twitch!" I say the words with him. I stare at the machine long after it's turned off. Exactly like my dream. This can't be forged, so...

"How the heck did I do that three months ago? I was here!" I finally manage.

"Best guess? Your memory was wiped and replaced with fake experiences. Probably when you went to Kamino for ARC training. That battle was just prior to your departure."

"And...I knew you?"

"Yes. We were friends, actually."

"Why do I look just like you?"

"You're a clone. The only female one in existence. And the only one who ages at the standard rate of a regular human." I try to cope with the new information. I can't show I'm fazed. I have to make myself calm down. I force a smirk.

"I _knew_ I was adopted." I say with as much triumph as I can muster. "Now, why was my memory wiped and I was stuck here?"

"Maybe it was becoming too obvious you were a clone? You tried hiding it at first, but as it got easier to tell, you stopped caring who knew what. A female clone meant the Kaminoans' cloning system wasn't perfect, and they hated imperfection." He explains.

"So, I'm a mistake? I wasn't supposed to exist?"

"No, but ever heard of something going perfectly wrong? You saved a lot of lives, helped in critical battles, and became the youngest sergeant in history." Wow. I'm even cooler than I thought!

"I was a sergeant?"

"The leader of Pyro Squad, named due to your—ah, creative and continuous use of explosives. The original members were Decker, the medic, Jax, a sniper, Wing, Bark, Dinger, Fritz, the mechanic, and Tail, your scout. He was also your most trusted subordinate."

"Okay, so why do you call me 'Twitch'?" He looks saddened by my question, as though he's lost something very important.

"Clones start out with numbers, but usually get nicknames later on. When we met, I called you Twitch. You must've taken a liking to it, 'cause that's how you started introducing yourself."

"How'd we meet?"

"This might take a while."

"I have no where else to be."

"You're going to get a bit of a backstory of yourself, then."

"Good. I don't like not knowing what I did for the last rest of my life." He hides a smile at this and starts.

"You were kept secret on Kamino. You weren't trained for battle. They didn't know what to do with you. When you were ten, you somehow got off of Kamino and started fighting the Separatists alone. After three months of sabotage and I-don't-know-what-else, you were captured and held for two years, undergoing torture such as injections, spider bites that caused hallucinations, Force-Lightning shocking, and so on. When you were twelve, you got away. You'd stolen gauntlets that were made of phrik, which can withstand a lightsaber or laser bolt. They had blades, as you saw in the holovid. For nine months, you kept on fighting.

"Sometime during those nine months, you turned thirteen and went to Tatooine. There, you tried to save a clone named Splinter. Jabba the Hutt had caught him and you tried getting him out. During the fighting you got separated. He was dropped into a pit with a rancor and you were forced to leave the palace, or be killed. You blamed yourself for leaving Splinter behind, especially when you found out he was alive. Five months later, you were on Ryloth. That's where you saved Captain Keeli from being killed by droids, though the rest of his men and his Jedi General were killed. Later, you were chased by a Sith assassin named Asajj Ventress into a battle. General Kenobi chased her off, while you destroyed all the droids. You were shot in the process and taken to Anakin Skywalker's flagship, the Resolute. We met during your bed rest. I had broken ribs and had to stay in your room.

"We didn't talk much, since the medical droid sedated you for ten days. We met later when you snuck down to Umbara against direct orders to help with the fighting. That's where we became friends. You met Fives and Tup there, too. Close friends of yours." I blink in surprise.

"Okay, okay okay. Um... How do I get my memory back?" He thinks about it.

"No idea. We'd have to ask Kix, a medic you knew in the 501st." I pretend I know what the 501st is.

"Where's he?"

"Working as a doctor on Coruscant."

"How am I supposed to get to Coruscant? Mom'll flay me if I even suggest it!"

"No, she won't." I groan in dread as mom walks in. "Because mom knows about your past."

* * *

_A.N. ~ yes, I am truly cruel enough to leave you guys with a cliffhanger on the first chapter. At least it's only a small cliffhanger! I hope you liked the first chapter. Chapter Two will be up within 48 hours. Please review, positively or critically. I like hearing your opinions!_


	2. Flashes

I pack clothes into a back pack.

"Why are you leaving? Just because some soldier shows you a holovid and tells some crazy story?" Clara gripes.

"The holovid corresponds with my nightmares, his reasoning makes sense. I look exactly like him. He has to be telling the truth."

"D'haynna, I hate it when you use something I said to prove your point! Why do you even want to remember? Your old life doesn't sound so great."

"Say you were in my shoes. You don't know what you did your entire life and don't remember anything except for what a stranger tells you. I prefer knowing what I did for the last fourteen years." I place a picture of me with my 'family' in a side pouch.

"I want to come with you!"

"You need to stay with mom in case dad comes back. I'll be with Rex. You saw how well he can fight. And it's not like I'm helpless."

"Yeah, sure." I freeze up as I see a Trandoshan bearing down on me and biting my shoulder. Clones yelling rings in my ears before the flash ends.

"That's got to stop." I mutter.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm going to miss you." I sling the pack over my shoulder and she hugs me.

"I'll miss you, too. You better come back here for holidays. And chat with me over your holoprojector."

"I will. And for the sake of D'haynna's Bow, USE THE PIPE NEXT TIME DAD SHOWS!" She laughs and we go downstairs. Mom hugs me and fusses with a strand of hair. I duck away and smile.

"Just let me play with it. I get the feeling it won't be there next time I see you." She playfully scolds.

"What makes you say that?" I scoff.

"You're going to get your memories back, and then you'll chop it all off. I'm so sorry for lying to you."

"It's fine. I understand why you did it. I love you."

"I love you, too. Now come on. We can't wait forever." We go down the hall, putting on our boots before heading to the speeder. Rex is already waiting in the passenger seat.

I get in the back and mom takes the wheel. We drive through lush green country and into a small city, straight to the starport.

"You take care of her, Captain." My mother orders.

"Will do." He assures.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be fine." I promise.

"Better be."

§ § §

I wake up with a start. I must have fallen asleep.

"Are you alright Tw—Akinta?" Rex checks.

"Yeah. Are we almost there?"

"Ten minutes." I wait quietly. When we land, we leave, though I'm limping again. Rex gets a hovertaxi and we go in. "Coruscant Medical." Rex asks.

"You got it. Hey, you're that guy who I picked up 'bout a year ago. You've got credits this time, right?"

"Yes." The Captain shows the money and we lift off. After twenty minutes of movement, we are dropped off at a large, white, domed building with triangles making up the outer shell. I follow Rex in and look around wearily. I don't like being around this many people. Rex goes to the front desk.

"Is Doctor Kix in?" He asks.

"Yes, he's in Exam Room Three. Do you have an appointment?" This seems to put Rex off.

"Erm, no."

"What's your name?"

"Rex." She grabs a comm and clicks it.

"Doctor Kix, a man named Rex is here to see you. Do you have a minute?"

"Yes. I'll be there right away." I hear someone who's voice mimics Rex's. We wait for a minute before another clone appears. He has lightning bolts shaved into his almost nonexistent hair.

"Twitch? Where've you been?" I don't know how to answer so I stand there mutely.

"Memory wipe. She doesn't remember anything except implanted memories." Rex quickly explains. The medic furrows his brow.

"Alright, maybe we should talk in private." We go to a room labeled 'Exam Room Three'. Kix swats my head. I recoil and glare.

"Don't do that!" I snap.

"You of all people got your memory wiped?" He challenges.

"Yes!" I freeze as I see a Besalisk glaring down on me.

"Well, then. We have a new soldier." He says before the flash ends. I blink in confusion and look at Rex and Kix. They're both staring at me.

"What?"

"You blanked out. What happened?" Kix asks.

"I don't know. Did I ever meet a Besalisk?"

"Umbara. What did you see?" Rex demands.

"Not much. Just a Besalisk looking at me saying; _Well, then. We have a new soldier._ I'm going crazy, aren't I?"

"No. Your memories are resurfacing. The real ones." Kix explains.

"That's good, right? Right?" I say anxiously.

"Yes and no. On one hand, it means the memory wipe wasn't done very well. Either amateurs conducted the process," he smirks, "or you were struggling a lot during the procedure. On the other, be careful crossing the street."

"Is it reversible?" Rex finally asks the most important question.

"Yes, but we need to know exactly how her memories were wiped to counter it."

"How will we do that? Just walk up to the Kaminoans and ask?" That would get me wiped all over again.

"We could hack their files." Rex suggests.

"Do we know any good hackers?" I ask.

"Fritz. Your mechanic. Had quite a knack for it." The Captain elucidates.

"Great. Where's he?"

"No idea. Gotta check the computers at High Command." Rex looks like he's concentrating.

"And is that legal?" I demand.

"No. We'll need to break in." I think about it and grin.

"Yeah, you're definitely still you." Kix smiles.

§ § §

I slip through the vents and unlock the door. Rex and Kix sneak in. They've changed to full armour.

"Lasers blocking us from the computers." Rex grumbles. I look around. I can't see anything, but their helmets can probably detect them with some vision or another.

"Is that balcony and wall clear?" I point out the path.

"Yes, but I don't see—" I get a running start and spring off the back of a couch, latching on to the balcony and shimmying along until the edge. Rex stops talking. I leap down and farther left before turning and bowing.

"Show off." Kix grumbles into my comm.

"You're just jealous 'cause I thought of it first." I tease. "Now, what the heck do I do?"

"Go to the computer and turn it on. I'll talk you through it." Rex orders. I go to one of the many computers and switch it on. A password is required.

"Six numbers, no clues. What is it?" I say.

"6, 8, 4, 3, 7, 1." Rex answers slowly. I type it in and look at all the files.

"Now what?"

"Go to the file labeled '501st troops'"

"Why didn't _I_ think of that?" I mumble as I look around. I finally find it. Another password. "Road block t'ad. Was that 'two' in Mando'a?"

"Yes."

"Thought so. Of all the things to remember. What's the password?"

"Funny we're bringing up Mando'a now. Spell exactly as I tell you." I type out the words.

"Jatnese be te jatnese...the best of the best?" I ask.

"Right."

"Did I speak Mando'a before I lost my memory?"

"Yeah. Your subconscious remembers, but you aren't aware of it until after you hear or see something you used to know." Kix explains.

"Okay, okay, Fritz...Fritz...here he is. Oh, haar'chak, he's on Hoth. What the haran is he doing out there and what am I saying?" I manage in one breath. Kix translates and I face palm.

"Have I gone soft, or am I the only one who thinks someone should've been monitoring me?"

"You've gone soft." Kix teases.

"Ignore him, you should have been monitored. Now, get back here before security notices us." Rex cuts in. We had wired the cameras to freeze frame, so it looks like nothing has moved on the relieving end of the technology. I log out and shut down the computer.

"Okay. I'll be right back." I drag two chairs and put them back-to-back before running and jumping off of them, snagging the balcony's railing and getting back to the others.

They go out the door, I lock it and go out through a vent, the entrance of which is sealed off once I'm out. Besides the moved chairs, there's no sign of anyone having been in the building recently. Midnight heist. Such a good thing we haven't been caught.

"Please tell me the comm was glitching when you said Hoth." Kix groans.

"'Fraid not. Someone explain why he's there?"

"No idea." Rex replies somberly.

§ § §

We rented out a Lambda-class shuttle and are on our way to Hoth. Kix, seeing how he hasn't asked for a break once in his near-three-month employment while working long hours, got a vacation pretty easily. He said he'd send them the exact time he'd be away as soon as he took a look at his travel plans.

While he and Rex set the flight plan, I slip into the passenger area and pull out my holoprojector, calling home. It should be about ten in the morning there. Clara picks up immediately.

"Akinta! Did you get your memory back?"

"No, not yet. It's going to be a roundabout plan to pull it off. Maybe we should be careful about what we say over the holonet. We could be tapped.

"You're so paranoid."

"I get the feeling paranoia has kept me alive. Just, please be careful."

"Fine, fine. So, you're alright?"

"Yeah, though I'm going to tie those Kaminoans' necks into knots when I get my hands on them. So, get this; I know another language. I usually know what means what if I hear or see it. Just not when I say it."

"Cool! You're semi-bilingual."

"Semi being the operative word. How are you and mom?"

"We're alright. Wailin misses you."

"He misses the treats I slip him. Such a suck up." We share a chuckle.

"I've got to go. Bye, shorty."

"We're the same height!" I protest indignantly before she hangs up. "Di'kutla ori'vod!" I grumble, not knowing what I just said.

"So how're your hand-to-hand skills?" Rex comes in.

"No idea. Was I ever any good?" He shakes his head with a smile. "You kicked our shebs every match." Now I'm smiling. We take up positions with silent agreement. He tries punching me and I hop back, rising to the balls of my feet.

He tries a kick and I duck before returning the attack. He dodges and moves in to punch me again. Some random instinct grabs me and tosses my body into a backflip that leads to a handspring backwards to my feet. I stop and raise my eyebrows.

"Whoa. Since when could I do _that_?"

"You taught yourself an acrobatic fighting style shortly after you escaped the Separatists." Rex says.

"Really? I sometimes fall on my face putting my socks on..." I grin, giddy at my newfound abilities. We resume and I experiment a little, finding that all sorts of flips and twists come naturally to me, through practice or natural talent, I don't know.

Unfortunately, I'm not used to the fighting style and lose integrity during an upside down 45° angle spin/flip and land on my shoulder. "Ow. I blame the Kaminoans for that." I get up and wince. I hadn't noticed the growing discomfort in my leg. My left shoulder aches.

"Time for a break?" Rex guesses.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." We go back to the bridge.

"Are you alright?" Kix immediately zeroes in on my limp.

"Yep. Just a little sore. How long 'til we reach Hoth?"

"Eighteen hours. I suggest you take a nap."

"I'm going to explode now." I groan.

"Are we sure your memories were wiped? You sure don't act like it."

"Well, when it doesn't feel like you've had it, you don't really notice."

"It's kind of strange. You had memory loss once already." The medic murmurs.

"Really? When?"

"First attempt at Krovell. We had to abandon ship and you hit your head on the way down in the escape pod. Couldn't remember the last week."

"Memory loss of memory loss. Story of my life." I sit down in the co-pilot station and massage my leg. Rex goes back into the passenger area and lies down on one of the benches.

Kix looks pointedly at my leg and holds his upturned hand in front of him. I clench my limb and look away.

"Stubborn as ever. Just humour me. I'm bored."

"D'haynna's Bow, how much time did you spend figuring out how to talk me into something?" I grumble while offering up my leg. He grasps it a bit too tightly and I hiss through my teeth.

"Sorry. And it took me months to learn how to talk you down. Before that, I usually had someone help me restrain you."

"You're making that up." I accuse while he looks over the scar.

"Okay, I only used restraints a couple times, but sometimes I had to sedate you. That part generally involved me sticking you when you didn't expect it."

"And I'm letting you examine my leg why?" I challenge.

"Because there's nothing I could do to fix your partially-severed Achilles tendon right now, anyway." I set my foot back on the floor. "So who's 'Dynna'?"

"D'haynna," I correct, "is the goddess the people I was living with for the last...three months, I think. My fake memories make me a devotee. What do clones usually believe in?"

"Why do you ask?" I look at him, confused. Then I remember Rex had told me I kept my identity hidden. He studies my face and shock covers his. "Please tell me it's coincidence that you look like a female clone."

"Wish I could, but then you'd know what my lying face and tones are." He rubs his face with his hands before gawking at me.

"And now that I think about it, I feel like a di'kut for not noticing sooner." He mumbles.

"I'll make up some smart aleck remark once I get my memories back." I joke.

"Okay. So what about the Bow? You said _D'haynna's Bow_."

"Bow and arrows are very old weapons. They were the sacred weapons of the goddess. There's an entire legend, but I don't think I'd do it much credit if I recited from memory. But seriously, what do clones believe in?"

"Our blasters and our brothers. As far as we're concerned, the only higher beings are the ones giving out orders."

"That's...one way to live." I freeze up as another memory starts.

§ § §

FLASHBACK

I'm chained. A tall man with a goatee and beard stands over me, shocking my body with lightning from his fingertips. I can't do anything but lie still and cry out while he tortures me.

"Tell me what you know!" He orders.

"Kill me first, then I'll tell you whatever you want." I spit back.

"Insolent child!" I'm shocked again.

§ § §

FLASHBACK END

Kix has both hands on my shoulders when I return to the present.

"Are you back?" He asks.

"Yeah. I think I saw something somewhere between years eleven to twelve."

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen standard years. I don't age like a normal clone."

"That's because you aren't normal."

"Normal's boring." I jest.

"I am not!" I chuckle.

"You're not normal. You're flying to Hoth to pick up a mechanic before storming Kamino. That isn't an every day activity."

"Okay. We aren't normal. You fight Sith, I put you back together afterwards."

"I've fought Sith?"

"Ventress, Dooku, Opress. Grievous wasn't exactly a Sith, but he could be just as bad." He lists off on his fingers.

"Uhh... Okay. So if I'm blanking out when I see just pieces of memories, what happens when they all come back at once?"

"You're seeing memories because your mind is rejecting the wipe. That's causing a bunch of mental turmoil, thus the blank outs. With the machine or however they did it...how do I explain this... Your brain is a chocolate bar. Someone melted it down and reshaped it, but there are bumps. That's the result of your mind rejecting the process and a few kinks in the procedure.

"If we manage to reverse the wipe, that would mean melting down and reshaping the chocolate bar again. To make it smooth and resume its original shape, we need to know exactly how they melted the bar in the first place. If done correctly, it'll be like the memory loss never happened. You'll just know what you did, though it'll take a few hours before everything clears up."

"Okay. That leaves a few disturbing images, but I get it. Heads are gonna roll once this is all over." He smiles and rolls his eyes while checking over our course. Autopilot is only so reliable.

* * *

_A.N. ~ there's Chapter Two. Chapter Three will be up ASAP. Please review, positively or critically._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Shabuir (since I forgot last chapter): [SHAH-boo-EER] extreme insult (jerk, but much stronger)**

**T'ad: [tahd] two**

**Jatnese be te jatnese: [jat-NAY-say beh jat_NAY-say] The best of the best (plural)**

**Haar'chak: [HAR-chak] Damn it**

**Haran: [HAH-rahn] hell (literally; destruction, cosmic annihilation)**

**Di'kutla: [dee-KOOT-lah] useless, stupid, worthless, idiotic, foolish, ETC. (Insulting depending on the tone)**

**Ori'vod: [OH-ree-VOD] big brother, big sister (less formally; special friend)**

**Shebs: [shebs] butt, backside, buttocks, rear end, ETC. (Can also be used for back end of a building, etc.)**

**Di'kut: [DEE-koot] idiot, useless individual, fool, ETC.**


	3. Recovery

"Anything alive down there?" I jest.

"An outpost. Still being worked on, judging by the looks of it." Rex says.

"An outpost out here. Go figure." I mutter.

"Let's contact them before we run out of fuel." Kix suggests. Rex does.

"This is Hoth Outpost. Identify yourself." Someone crackles.

"Clone Captain Rex, clone medic Kix, and our friend, Akinta. We're here to visit Fritz."

"You may land on Platform One, Captain."

"Thank you." We descend through the atmosphere and zip towards a lonely, still-being-worked-on building. As soon as we set down, I go to the back and change into warmer clothes in the refresher. We go down the ramp and hurry inside, fleeing the numbingly cold weather. A door opens and we hurry in.

"I'm smacking Fritz for coming out here." I say through chattering teeth.

"He probably didn't know you'd come looking for him." Rex points out. Two guards approach us.

"We have to check you for weapons." One explains. We are looked over and cleared. Fritz rounds the corner of the entry hallway and grins.

"Sarge! Where'd you go?"

"Fritz, what possessed you to come out here?" Surely there are better ways than freezing to die.

"Heard they were building an outpost, I wanted to help. Didn't care where."

"Okay, I can sort of understand that. Maybe we could talk in private?" He gives me a curious glance, but nods. We follow him through multiple hallways and into a room that looks like a storage space.

"I—" I freeze as another memory starts up. I'm in a heated fight with Grievous, just before my leg burns and pain lances through my shoulder. I snap back to reality and blink. I'm sitting on the floor, both hands clutching either side of my head.

"Kriff. Those flashes are going to get me killed." I groan, standing with the help of Kix.

"What's going on, Sarge?" Fritz asks nervously. So I explain, Rex and Kix stepping in when needed or necessary.

"So, either you say yes, or we go find another hacker." I end simply.

"I'm in. These civvies are driving me crazy, anyways." I smirk.

"To think, the Kaminoans made _me_ a civvy. They could've just shot me."

"That would've been a lot of wasted ammo. A few dead Kaminoans..." Fritz trails off.

"There _will_ be a few dead ones, soon as I get my brain back to normal. Find my gauntlets." Where'd they put my gauntlets, anyway?

"Think you can arrange some free time?" Rex asks the mechanic. "Yes, sir."

§ § §

"So, wait. We're just gonna waltz into the facilities and just _hope_ no one notices?" I ask.

"No, _we're_ waltzing in. _You're_ the one who'll have to sneak around." Rex answers.

"I take it I've done a lot of sneaking before?"

"Enough to make an ARC jealous." He jokes.

"Huh. So where do we meet up? Comms are going to be monitored." I guess.

"Main medical bay. We'll probably know what they did to you by the time you make it." Rex must have talked with the others when I was sleeping.

"Okay."

I'm suddenly in a Mess Hall, laughing with two other troopers.

§ § §

FLASHBACK

"You're making that up!" One says, a teardrop tattoo under his right eye.

"No, no, I swear that happened!" My voice speaks without my permission.

"You did not program a droid to show its superiors a troll face." The other, a five tattoo on the right side of his forehead, rejects.

"No, _Fritz_ reprogrammed the droid. I drew the troll face. If you don't believe me, half my squad is right across the room."

§ § §

FLASHBACK END

The flashback ends and I blink. How long was I gone? All three of the other clones are staring at me.

"I'm back. Fritz, we didn't happen to reprogram a droid to give a drawing of the troll face meme to its superiors, did we?" He chuckles.

"We did. We blew up a Separatist outpost on Mustafar." His eyes half close at the memory.

"Approaching Kamino now. Twi—ah, Akinta, find a good place to hide." Kix trips over my name. I go through the lower maintenance hatch and move as far from the opening as I can, hiding behind a curtain of wires. I have a com link, just in case we absolutely need to contact each other.

§ § §

_Of all the kriffed up plans! _

I'm being held by a white Kaminoan, glaring daggers at her as her fingers dig into my arm. I'll recap on what happened.

FLASHBACK

I had been heading straight for the med bay. The problem was, the vents I'd been in didn't connect with the bay's ones, so I had had to jump down and run for the door.

I would've made it, too, if a memory hadn't keeled me over for who-knows-how-long. By the time I came out of it, she was stooping down to grab me.

I'd been so disoriented after going from the hall to fighting Grievous and back to the hall again that she didn't have much trouble getting ahold of me.

FLASHBACK END

"CT-28-3758, what are you doing here?" The Kaminoan thunders.

"Currently, I'm being held by a peeved kaminii." Mando'a that I can only assume means 'Kaminoan'.

"Are you talking back to me?" She roars. I put on a sarcastic face that over-does the _you don't say_ expression.

"Yeah, that's kind of how we com-mun-i-cate." I explain in a tone screaming fake seriousness. I'm backhanded on the cheek. Pain burns and a throb starts up. If you've never been hit by a Kaminoan, consider yourself very lucky.

"Insolent flaw! Your memory will be wiped at once!" I'm dragged into the med bay, kicking and screaming in either gibberish or languages I didn't know I knew.

My eyes widen in disbelief when I see Kix standing near an upright bed with metal bands wrapped around where my head is going to rest. Fritz is beside him.

"Kix! Kix, stop her! She's going to do it again! My brain is already messed up, don't let it happen twice!" I beg, panic setting in. All I know is they're going to wipe me, replacing me with another person. I don't want it to happen.

"Hold still, CT-3758." He orders, holding up a syringe. I start struggling and biting and clawing, doing everything physically possible. I see Rex standing by a computer, prepping it for use. "You three are helping her?! This is shabla and you both know it! What the kriff did she do, give you concussions?" I screech angrily, just as enraged as I am scared.

Fritz and Kix somehow manage to inject me, though before the drug takes effect, I manage to sock the medic. He grabs me as I collapse, closing my eyes. I want to protest, preferring to be able to see what's coming, but I can't move.

Maybe I don't want to see what happens next. I want to whimper, break down, do something, but there's nothing I can do but be placed in the machine. My head is propped up and a loud humming begins.

"Much better than last time." I hear the Kaminoan saying. "CT-7567, hold her up. CT-4598, begin the procedure." No. Oh, D'haynna, please, no.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Rex propped up the seemingly unconscious girl while Kix activated the process. Needles at one-centimetre intervals appeared out of the metal bands, moving in towards the young clone's head.

They pierced her skin and went straight through her skull. Wires inside the tubes began snaking around Twitch's brain.

Fritz watched silently. For fifteen minutes, they all stayed deadlocked like that. Then the process ended and the needles retreated. Kix hoped his paralysis concoction wore off soon.

He was supposed to sedate her, but that wasn't part of the plan. Well, the improvised one, anyway. The medic slipped from his station and behind the Kaminoan. He sucker punched her in the head, knocking her to the side.

To hit a Kaminoan was one of the ultimate taboos for clones. A rule he broke along with the woman's grasp on consciousness. Rex was shaking his little sister, trying to free her from the toxin. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she gasped, regaining her footing.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I look around blearily.

"Akinta?" Rex asks. I look at him, feigning complete confusion.

"My name is Marla. Who are you? Where am I?" A look of pure horror flashes across the Captain's face and I burst out laughing. "That's for scaring the osik out of me! I'm back, Rex. Call me Akinta one more time, and I start calling you Dytin. I know your memory isn't bad enough to forget my name is Twitch." He sighs in relief before chuckling.

Fritz starts laughing, followed by Kix. Our frayed nerves and stressed out bodies are getting to us and soon we're all howling like lunatics from an asylum.

"You had us for a moment there." Kix chokes out through his laughter.

"Oh, you should've seen your faces. You—ah haha—you looked like you—" I can't finish because I'm laughing so hard, tears are squeezing out of my eyes. My sides ache and I can't breathe. I'm doubled over, clutching my stomach.

Every time I almost catch my breath, I remember Rex's look of shock and start all over again. It takes us minutes to calm down. Stitches are on either side of my belly button.

"Alright, we need to leave before Sai wakes up." Rex finally manages.

"No way! I'm not leaving this place until I get my gauntlets back!" I protest, still amused.

"There are dozens of armouries. How do you plan on finding them?" Kix challenges.

"Um...torture Ko until she sings?"

"No. Punching her is bad enough. Torture will get us arrested." Kix replies, looking somewhat guilty.

"She should've been arrested years ago, then. What about intimidation? Almost torturing isn't technically a crime."

"Found them." Fritz calls. He'd slipped over to the computer. I face palm myself.

"Now I feel particularly stupid. Good work. Where are they?" I congratulate.

"Armoury 6–C." He says, staring at the screen.

"Do I still need to sneak around, or can we just walk down the hall?" I ask.

"Just walk. No one'll raise an eyebrow if you're walking with us like you're supposed to be here." Kix suggests. So, we stroll down the corridors, occasionally chuckling from earlier or a joke made right then.

"So when did you come up with plan B?" I ask, mentally shuddering at the lingering feeling of helplessness.

"When Ko Sai walked in the room." Rex replies.

"For the record, she caught me during a flash. I would've been fine if I hadn't started replaying the battle of Moleen." I defend.

"Good, you're starting to remember. Remember our first crack at Krovell?" Kix praises.

"And I had memory loss of the week before we abandoned ship? Why?" I have a feeling I know what he's up to.

"What does jetar madle mean?" Rex asks with a sly grin snaking across his face. Kix scowls at the Captain, but doesn't comment. The words ring a bell and I think hard.

"It's Trandoshan. For...fooorrr..." A random thought suddenly clicks in my mind and I know. "Meat maggot. It means meat maggot. And Kix hates it because..." I grope for the memory, but there's still mist in my brain. "Okay, not sure, but I'll figure it out in an hour or so." I murmur, watching a light brown Kaminoan wearily. He doesn't give us a second glance.

We just enter the armoury and I spot my gauntlets on a wall when alarms begin to blare. I lunge forward and seize the weapons, snapping them on. I have the sudden urge to holster a pair of DC-17s as well, and do so quickly. "Heads'll roll as soon as the bounty on our heads disappears. Best hiding place now would probably be Teth." I muse aloud. Rex cocks an eyebrow.

"That's wild space. Why there?" I can hear an edge of pain in his voice.

"I vaguely remember Teth being a lifesaver for me more times than one. Plus, it can be impossibly difficult to find people if they know where to hide." He nods as we arm ourselves. We dash for the hangar, ignored largely until we just reach the ship.

"Stop! You cannot leave during an emergency. HALT!" One Kaminoan screeches. We board and start moving immediately, taking off without hesitation. I start searching every inch and compartment, looking for and finding multiple tracking beacons. We scan the outside of the ship to be sure, but no more tracking devices are found.

§ § §

"List off all the original members and the name of your squad." Fritz challenges, desperate to contribute to the rapid-fire questions that the three of them have been throwing at me.

"The original members of Pyro Squad were you, the mechanic, Dinger, Bark, Jax, the sniper, Decker, the medic, Tail, the scout, and Wing." I inhale deeply.

"What phobia do you have?" Rex shoots off.

"Yeah, like you're going to get me to admit it a second time. Roundabout answer: the hallucinations they gave me." He nods, satisfied.

"What was our punishment for what on which planet during the first campaign our squad fought in?" Fritz's question adds to my headache.

"Braxis V, I made you guys scrub mechs for a week after I caught you eavesdropping on me." I glare, somewhat remembering that day. Rex smirks.

"What did which Jedi cut you out of when we rescued you and your squad in a mountain?"

"General Anakin Skywalker cut me out of a roggwart." I drone. I shudder at the foggy memory. Kix says they'll clear up in a few hours and I'll remember everything, not just the concepts, but until then, I'm in discomfort. I paw at a strand of hair crossly.

_Fierfek! Why did I grow so much hair?_

"This," I point at the long hair, "is going. Do we have any scissors or knives in board? Besides my gauntlets."

"There should be some scissors in the med kit. Just sterilize them after you're done." Kix offers. I go to the box and pull out the slim tool. I sit back down at the gunnery station again and begin snipping. "I can work and listen at the same time." I grumble.

"What are the plants that eat us on Umbara called?" Rex asks.

"Vixus." I'm halfway through.

"What did you do to get Pyro Squad its name?" Fritz picks up.

"I blew up a mine."

"Name three clones you knew in the 104th Battalion." The mechanic goes again.

"Knew as in name-wise or knew as in personally?"

"Names."

"Strings, Comet, Wolffe." I answer simply.

"How many crates did you help move before our first attack on Krovell?" Rex demands.

"Uh..." I try thinking it through, but that tiny detail is escaping me. After a minute, I have to admit defeat. "Don't know."

"What did we eat on the island we were stranded on?" I finish and talk as I sterilize and put away the scissors.

"Some kind of large mammal, fish...was there anything else?"

"Not that my stomach remembers." Kix jokes.

"What do you always say keeps you alive?" Rex shoots."

"My paranoia, among other things..." I gather up the fallen strands of hair and throw them down the trash shoot. I brush a few loose pieces off my shoulders.

I vigorously ruffle my hands back and forth over my scalp until the short hair stands up in a disorganized and fluffy manner. I shake my head quickly before I'm satisfied. Much better.

An itch starts and I scratch behind my ear, finding a loose hair. I retreat to the passenger area and call home. Clara picks up after several seconds, but I notice she's in bed with ruffled hair and wearing a nightgown.

"Akinta! Did you do it?"

"My brain is no longer messed up, though I still have memory loss of one week. Old injury. We ah, ran into a little trouble. There might be a bounty on our heads, so we're going into hiding for now. Mind contacting me with updates? Y'know, wether a bounty for us appears, when it goes down, stuff like that."

"Sure. I take it only I should make the call?"

"And be careful with words. Don't call frequently, either."

"Understandable, but as soon as things calm down, promise to stop by for a visit, and bring everyone who helped you!" I smile.

"I'll pass that on. Thanks, sis." She beams at the reference to our relationship.

"Anytime. Be. Careful. I'll kill you if you die." I snicker.

"I'm too stubborn to die. I better go. Love you."

"Love you." I end the call and set the device to charge while I lie down for a nap.

* * *

_A.N. ~ Chapter Four will be up within 48 hours, though probably sooner rather than later. Please review, positive or critical. _

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS:**

**Kaminii: [kah-MEE-nee] Kaminoan**

**Shabla: [SHAH-bla] screwed up (impolite)**

**Osik: [OH-sik] dung (impolite)**


	4. New Plan

When we land, I start looking for a place to hide the ship. We find a large cave that's deep, but uninhibited. Some delicate flying, a few heart-stopping screeches of metal against stone, and the ship is hidden. For good measure, I spend several hours collecting and pining vines over the entrance, sometimes weaving them together, until a curtain of the plants hides the entrance.

It's somewhat convincing if you don't look at it too hard, though I could probably do better if I wasn't so tired. Kix explains that it's probably the strain my brain and body had-and-is going through as my memories resurface.

Once the ship is hidden, we go into the forest. We don't have much food, so hunting is the best option we currently have.

"What are we looking for again?" Fritz asks.

"Jungle rancors. Very young ones. Newly born would be best, since the parents don't guard the nests. We're just in time for the newest litters to be around." I explain, though I'm gritting my teeth at how much noise the three make. "But the parents have very good hearing, so it would be best to be quiet." I say this more to lessen the sound and decrease the likeliness of other predators to attack than to protect them from rancors.

They become much stealthier after that, sneaking around like there might be enemies behind every tree. I feel comfortable in the misty jungle. Sure, anything could jump me, but I could jump anything in return. I start looking for signs of jungle rancor movement, though it takes a while for us to find anything; knocked over trees. Recently, too.

"Came from that way. The nest should be unguarded for a few hours." I mutter, gesturing to our left. "Better hurry." I start jogging nervously.

"You said hours." Kix points out.

"Yes, but do you know how long it will take to lure one of the newborns far enough from the nest as to not leave a blood trail? Can't kill it on the parents' doorstep, then they'd track our scent." I elucidate, jumping at a high-pitched sound that I can only describe as a baby dinosaur yawning. I smile and keep to the tree line, creeping up until I see a massive tangle of trees, plants, and so many other things.

"So, how big are these babies exactly?" Fritz asks.

"Oh, ten feet. No worries." I say cheerfully. "Now, to lure one away, basically it just has to see food. Then it'll chase it."

"So, what's food for them?" Rex asks, looking like he already knows but is scared its true.

"Us. Basically anything not as big as they are. Don't worry. I'll be first bait. Once it's out of the nest we just have to make enough noise and keep moving back into the forest until we're a safe distance to kill it." I lay out the plan.

"Strings was right. YOU. ARE. INSANE." Fritz mutters.

"And unpredictable, and hungry, so let's get to it." I start jogging to the nest and climb up, peaking over the edge to see two newborns. One is facing where I am and I stand up to my full height, waving cheerily as if it was my next-door neighbour.

It gawks before lumbering towards me. I wait until the infant is just about to grab me when I hop down. It whines in protest and chases after me. I start jogging backwards, ducking a paw-swipe before having to turn and sprint to avoid the hungry mouth. "Here, dinner, dinner, dinner!" I shout.

"Over here, ugly!" Fritz yelps, waving his arms. The newborn looks between me and the older clone before chasing the mechanic, probably thinking he'll be a larger meal.

"No, this way!" Kix hollers from farther into the jungle, just barely visible in his white armour.

"Wrong again! Come on!" Rex calls. We keep this up for miles on end until the newborn sits down, exhausted. We take a breather ourselves.

"Great. Just ten more klicks and we should be out of the parents' smelling range." I pant. Fritz groans. I hang my head back and yelp. "RUN!" I howl, scrambling to my feet. A massive jungle rancor is coming at us very quickly." The others take one look and we bolt. "It's going to keep chasing us 'til it kills or loses us. All up for the latter?" I gasp.

"I take it you have a plan?" Rex asks.

"It relies on scent, since its eyesight is poor. And sound, so be quiet. Our best chance is to split up and meet back at the cave."

"Don't hesitate to yell if it catches you. Maybe one of us will be close enough to shoot it." Kix suggests.

"It's still a rancor. Blasters won't do much." I point out. "Scatter!" I say so, not because it will only help us hide, but also because a massive, webbed paw is about to crush us.

We split up and start running like there's no tomorrow, which there won't be if the angry parent catches us. I weave past trees and jump over streams, heart pounding so loudly that I'm sure the enraged rancor can hear it.

§ § §

I make it back to the cave first. I wait impatiently, scared that the worst has happened. Kix comes in a few minutes later, panting and sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Dinner...backfired." He gasps, hands on knees as he catches his breath.

"No kidding. Hear anything from Rex or Fritz?" I check. He shakes his head. We don't risk our comms for fear of making noise that could endanger our friends. Ten minutes is worrying. Twenty is nerve-wracking. Half an hour means I'm going out to look for them. I stand, checking my guns and gauntlets.

"I'm turning those rancors into supper if anyone's hurt." I grumble.

"I'm coming." Kix follows. The second I take one step I know I'm in trouble. My right leg gives out, pained both by my injury and stiff muscles. Running that far that fast without stretching afterwards was not a good call. Kix kneels next to me, checking the scarred area.

"You should stay here. I'll go."

"No chance. I just need to walk it off." I painfully get back to my feet, though I'm limping as we go outside and start back towards the nest. At the place where we split up, I start in the direction Fritz had gone first.

After several hundred feet of tracking, I find a smear of blood. More of it plus drag tracks of someone pulling along an unconscious person makes my heart beat faster. "It's official; someone's gonna die." I growl. I notice something else on the ground and scoop some up on my fingers. More blood, but this belongs to a Duro.

"KRIFFING MIR'OSIK, DI'KUTLA, HUT'UUNLA BEROYA!" I screech, too angry to care wether a rancor hears me or not. Kix stares bewildered as I scrub my hand on the ground and glare at the drag marks. "I AM KILLING BANE TODAY AND SHOOTING HIM IN THE HEAD TWICE TO BE SURE HE'S DEAD!" I howl, eyes narrowing in rage.

"The Duros bounty hunter? You're sure it's him?" Kix asks nervously.

"OF COURSE IT'S HIM! WHAT OTHER DUROS WOULD ATTACK AND HOLD FRITZ HOSTAGE?!" I snarl, still angry. Bane has hurt too many of my brothers too many times for me to stay calm.

The medic backs away from me, eyes widening as I grit my teeth, trying futilely to reign in my emotions. After a couple minutes I somehow manage to cool off to the point of sanity without hitting myself. I breath deeply a couple times.

"Okay, okay okay okay, I'm calm. I'm calm. Okay, so the tracks are painfully obvious so that arrogant—" I cut myself off and breathe in again. "Okay, he wants us to follow him. This is a trap. All chances are he has Rex, too. Sai put out that bounty on us a lot sooner than we thought. Probably the instant she woke up. Bane is trying to lure us in. Get us all together like sheep to the slaughter." Kix nods, still with me.

"Then we—"

"Go back to the cave. Eat, rest. We won't have a chance against Bane if we're tired and hungry. Even at full health he's hard to beat." I interrupt coldly. He doesn't look happy, but nods. I barely make it back, lightly putting weight on my injured leg by the time we go in. I practically collapse behind the ship, clutching my leg.

"Okay, you're staying off that leg for at least eighteen hours. Doctor's orders." Kix says, disappearing into the ship before returning with food and water for us.

"We don't have eighteen hours. If the bounty says 'dead or alive', Bane will kill them. A lot easier than having two angry hostages to worry about each time you go to sleep."

"If," he emphasizes the word, "you overexert yourself, you could make the damage worse."

"I'm already a cripple for life. HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE IT WORSE?! It's either my leg or Rex and Fritz's lives. Like there's even any debate over it." He doesn't have an answer for that. It isn't often you can make a field medic speechless over an injury or overrule him when it comes to your health, so I'm somewhat surprised. He finally sighs and shakes his head.

"Fine, fine. But at least sleep for a few hours." I nod. I'd be a hypocrite if I refused. We eat, then get ready to sleep.

"I'll take first watch." I say, propping myself against the ship.

"Atin adiik."

"I'm not thirteen anymore. I'm an ad or ad'ika." I reply with a smile.

"Wake me up as soon as you get tired. No use if you fall asleep on watch."

_Kriff, HOW DOES HE KNOW HOW TO TALK ME INTO THINGS!?_

I nod again and look at the curtain of greenery.

§ § §

We return to the attack site, this time where Rex was taken, and follow. We really don't have any other choice, and splitting up makes us too vulnerable. My arm-blades are unsheathed. We walk quietly, until I have an idea. I swerve off and drag Kix with me, hurrying back the way we'd come.

"New plan." I murmur.

§ § §

"Next time, I MAKE THE PLAN!" Kix shouts as we run.

"Hey, at least this'll stop a fight between us and Bane. Sure, we'll have to move fast, but we should be able to get away." I shrug as best I can in mid-dash.

"You sure you could move fast enough if they're unconscious? I can't carry twice my body weight." He warns.

"Not the first time I've dragged Rex's shebs out of a fight. Now MOVE!" We pick up our pace as the pursuing adult jungle rancor thunders after us. I let out a piercing scream in case the monster is losing interest. "I hate making that sound." I groan, rubbing my sore throat.

"I think that's the first time beside your hallucinations I've actually heard you scream like a...well, girl." He looks slightly bewildered.

"Well, I can't lose my voice, can I? Then who'd make up all the insane plans?" I snicker before diving out of a paw's way. The mist is thinner now, so I can see a good thirty feet in any direction. Then I see them, Rex and Fritz tied to trees and Bane waiting between them. "Olly olly oxen freeeee!" I call. Bane gawks at us; two clones running from a massive blue jungle rancor. He quickly makes up his mind.

"Well played, Sweetheart." He calls before running. I dash over to a bloodied, but very awake, Rex and cut him loose before freeing Fritz. I stumble when my leg gives me heck, but help the mechanic up and we flee.

No splitting up this time. Bane is too close for us to risk that. The pace is rapid as we run away from the beast. Thankfully, this far from the nest, we don't pose much of a threat., and we are probably on its territory's doorstep.

After several minutes of dashing around, back towards our cave, it leaves us alone. We still don't stop running until we make it back behind the concealed ship. We collapse, literally, in a heap. For ten minutes we lie there, gasping for breath.

"Anything broken?" Kix asks once we can all breathe again.

"Just our faith in Twitch's sanity." Fritz mutters.

"Oh, they're fine. And how did you know the rancor was my doing?" I grumble.

"Is anyone else crazy enough to have come up with that?" Rex points out.

"Hmm, good point." We untangle ourselves and sit in a rough circle. I squeeze my leg, biting my lip as the pain throbs.

"That's what I meant by worse. Could hurt a lot more now." Kix explains.

"Worth it." I reply indifferently.

"Do you even care?" He demands.

"I've accepted that I won't be able to run as far or fast as I used to anymore. Trying to cause emotional turmoil won't help." I say blatantly. The others stare, bemused at how I can be so calm about being partially crippled.

"How touching. Looks like you've grown up." I swivel my head around and glare at Cad Bane.

"Get out of my cave." I growl.

"Only if all of you come with." He barters.

"How about you leave alone instead. Too many people might attract another jungle rancor." This, of course, isn't true unless we're near the nest and making a lot of noise, but I'm hoping he doesn't know that.

"I'll take that risk."

"Four. Years. You've been at it for four years. Just find some other person to harass. Why don't you chase after someone less likely to kill you?" I snap.

"You're not as dangerous as some of the people with such high prices on their heads." He replies. That's sort of insulting.

"Aren't I?" I shoot back sardonically.

"We'll see." He flips out two pistols and I unsheathe my arm-blades and stand, forcing myself not to favour my right leg. I can't let him see how bad of shape I'm in.

"Oh, and throw a grenade in here and the cave could destabilize and collapse in on us. Trust me, it's the first thing I looked for." I say matter-of-factly.

"I'll keep that in mind, Sweetheart."

"You better, chakaar."

He chuckles, shooting to my right. I immediately block the laser bolts, knowing they were aimed at Rex. "I think you've hit my friends here quite enough already." I state.

"Yes, well, they're more than friends, aren't they, little clone?" I shrug.

"What can I say? There's an odd one in every family." I block another bolt.

"Cute how you bottle-breds call yourselves siblings." I grit my teeth at the name.

"Come on, Spider Eyes. Jealousy is unbecoming."

"What makes you think I'm jealous of a bunch of clones?" He retorts, a bit too forcefully in my opinion.

"Because you're all alone, aren't you? Don't have anybody to watch your back. Must get lonely." I taunt.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" He shoots back.

"Oh, only twelve and a half years of my life. Give or take a few months. What about you? Forty, fifty years? Poor thing, so isolated." He snarls and throws off laser bolts as we talk.

The others have taken cover while I advance on the bounty hunter. My eyes become slits as each time the bounty hunter has ever hurt me or a brother plays through my mind.

He starts backing up, knowing that hand-to-hand combat with me is a sure bet for failure. I keep advancing, standing tall, proving that I'm not intimidated by the bounty hunter.

Then I stop, realizing that if he lures me out of the cave, he could use grenades again, and I don't want another replay of Ryloth. Thus we hit our stalemate; neither of us able to advance, and I'm unwilling to retreat.

"Anytime you guys want to start shooting at him, that would be lovely!" I shout over my shoulder. Blue laser bolts begin flying past me. Bane dodges and weaves. I draw both guns and add to the shooting.

Then Bane throws two grenades. "Outside!" I yelp, already running. The others cover the twenty feet separating us, but we're thrown off our feet from the explosion. We scramble and run outside.

I can hear the sound of rock giving way and crumbling. My holoprojector is attached to my belt, thank goodness. The cave collapses, causing another loud explosion as the ship blows up.

_Our ship! _

I glare at Bane.

"Shall we continue?" He asks nonchalantly.

"By all means. But no more detonators! That _will_ draw in a rancor." I order.

"You think I didn't read up on the local wildlife? I already knew that." He grumbles.

"Yeah, but remember the cave you almost buried yourself in?"

"I didn't trust you."

"I know explosives. I know how they work and what happens depending on where you put one. I KNEW THE CAVE WOULD COLLAPSE IF YOU IGNORED ME!" I know I'm angrier than what's reasonable, but I really hate Bane at this point.

"She was the leader of Pyro Squad. I would know. I was in it!" Fritz snaps, clearly getting irked as well.

"Are you done crying?" Bane interrupts.

"Just remember. _Capture by design, kill by necessity_."

"How do you know the Creed?" He growls.

"Like I'd tell you. Point is, you're either killing us or going to try subduing and holding four angry clones. Must be a high price for all that trouble." I retort smoothly.

"Since when do you try talking instead of fighting?" Cad asks.

"Since I'm unpredictable." He lets off a shot. Everything suddenly slows down as I watch it. I turn and follow the bolt's path, helpless to stop it, knowing I can't block in time, but dreading where it will go, because I can see its destination.

Thankfully, it only hits a leg, but that leg belongs to Rex. I hear another shot go off and a sense of déjà vu hits me along with the searing pain in my shoulder. Grievous is missing, though I'm to occupied screaming a mingle of incoherency and Rex's name to care.

I fall over, hand clutching the wound. Blood starts slipping down my fingers. I'm aware of someone grabbing me. My first instinct is to struggle and make Bane's life difficult, but I see a white and black flash and know this isn't the bounty hunter.

My second instinct is to go limp and let whoever has me do all the work, but I know we won't get away if I do that, either. I get my feet under me and lean against the person who helped me up.

We start running, though the one with his arms wrapped around me is leading the way. I stumble, crying out when the person clutches my shoulders and hoists me back upright. I can feel something slipping under my gauntlet. Most likely blood.

The sound of another shot being fired sets off my reflexes and I twist, blocking the shot to protect...Fritz. He's the one helping me. Unfortunately, I'd used my left arm, which is the hurt one, so I almost black out. I moan, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Then I chuckle before breaking out into laughter. "Sucks to be Bane." I pant.

"Why?" He asks. A loud explosion answers him.

"I...decided to...indulge...an old...habit." I gasp. "Is Rex okay?" Lifting my head seems like an impossibility right now. Fritz is kind enough not to point out I just have to look up and answers me.

"Bleeding, like you. Just hang in there."

§ § §

Rock spires surround us. This is as far as we could go before Rex and I collapsed. Fritz has gone about setting up camp while Kix works on us.

I lean against one of the rock formations and blearily keep pressure on my wound. Kix had tried working on me first, but I saved time by skipping an argument and half-dragging, half-walking away from him to where I am now.

The message was clear. My head is foggy and I'm having trouble forming coherent thoughts. A headache is knocking on my mind's doorstep.

* * *

_A.N. ~ sorry. I know I have a habit of badly injuring my main character early on in the story. However, I hope you liked Chapter Four. Chapter Five will be up ASAP, unless Darth Real Life attacks, then it'll be within 48 hours. Please review, positive or critical._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Mir'osik: [MEER-OH-sik] dung for brains**

**Hut'uunla: [hoo-TOON-la] cowardly (one of the worst possible insults)**

**Beroya: [bair-OY-ah] bounty hunter**

**Atin: [ah-TEEN] stubborn, tenacious, capable of endurance**

**Adiik: [AH-deek] child aged 3 to 13**

**Ad: [ahd] child**

**Ad'ika: [ah-DEE-kah] little one, kid, child, son, daughter, of any age (also used informally to adults much like 'lads' or 'guys')**

**Chakaar: [chah-KAR] corpse robber, thief, petty criminal (general term of abuse)**


	5. Songs In The Night

_Snap, snap, snap._

Someone clicking their fingers together wakes me up. I grumble and roll onto my side, but that brings pain and I flip onto my back again.

A hand rests on my forehead and I clench my eyes before giving in and leaving the comfortable fog that's cushioning me. I open my eyes and glare at the sky.

"For a minute we were worried we'd never see that scowl again." Someone says.

"Ugh... Meg te haran...?" I groan.

"Yeah, she's going to be fine." I feel a flick on my forehead and Rex's head appears over mine.

"You are way too selfless for your own good. We thought you were going to die!" He looks relieved and furious at the same time.

"Uh, no, _you_ and _Fritz_ thought she'd die. _I_ knew you'd be fine." Kix leans over me now. I grin.

"Die? Yeah, like I'd go do something as boring as that."

"Man, Sarge, do you take anything seriously?" Now Fritz is looking down on me.

"'Course I do. I'd just rather laugh in Death's face instead of freaking out." I try sitting up, but Kix pins me.

"You stay down." He orders.

"Then why's _he_ up?" I glance at Rex.

"He didn't lose as much blood." Fritz puts something in my right hand. I hold it up to see my holoprojector. Someone's calling. I turn it on.

"Not a good time. Transmission might be traced and we're being chased by a bounty hunter." Clara's eyes widen.

"O—okay. Okay, then you know about the bounty. Stay alive!"

"You too." I turn off the device. My stomach feels like there's a pressure on it, making me queazy.

"Even with a call that short, Bane might know where we are, now. We have to move." Rex says.

"I'm all for that." I sit up and wait for the blood to return to my head before standing. Now I really feel sick. An ache remains in my shoulder, reminding me that I've been shot for the...what, fourth time? More than that.

Fritz glowers at the few supplies we'd had with us that are now spread out. He probably isn't too thrilled about having to pack up again. Rex is favouring his right leg. I smirk. "Clara's right. You and I could be twins." A grin slithers across my face again. He looks down at the scorch mark in his armour, then at my off-balance bearing.

"Ha, ha. Just start packing." He grumbles. We bundle everything up. A few bedrolls, a pair of thin blankets, a half-filled canteen, and, of course, our weapons.

I can only use one arm, which gets irritating, but at least we finish quickly. Kix fashions a sling out of one blanket and, despite my half-hearted protests, puts it on me.

We start away from the cave again. We haven't had much to eat, and hunting is out of the question for now, but we've all put up with hunger before. After two hours of walking, we stop to rest. We try to ration it, but the water disappears quickly.

"Well, you four sure have gotten into a mess this time." We twist around, drawing our guns. A man walks out of the mist, dark tunic swaying according to his pace, wispy brown hair shadowing blue eyes.

"General, please tell me you haven't been looking at the bounty charts lately." I ask, standing down. The others follow suit, completely trusting the Jedi not to harm us.

"Not really my pastime. But, seeing how Bane is after you, I can bet your names are posted somewhere." He crosses his arms. I scratch the back of my head, the others looking around and shifting, not making eye contact. I suddenly take great interest in my boot.

"Want the short version or the long one?" I mumble.

"Let's keep it quick."

"My memory was erased, we went to Kamino to get it back, Ko Sai didn't agree with it. Oh, and duck." He looks surprised as I draw my gun and shoot over him. A large insect falls, dead.

"Thanks. Why don't we get back to my ship. Looks like you guys need some patching up."

§ § §

"So, how'd you find us?" I ask, watching distrustfully as a medical droid approaches me with a needle.

"Something you said once. About hiding on Teth a few times when you were rogue." Kix and Fritz listen carefully. They've never really gotten a clear picture of my past.

"When did I say that?" I furrow my brow, trying to remember.

"Sometime in the week before we attacked Krovell the first time. You still don't remember?"

"No." The droid injects me before double checking Rex. I rub my exposed arm, uncomfortable with my gauntlets off. I glower at the back of the metal head.

_Whatever he put in me, I didn't need it._

"Yes, you did." I look up at Skywalker with surprise.

"Huh?" I ask, not understanding what he means.

"You needed the injection." He elucidates. I hate Jedi senses sometimes. I hide my emotions behind a blank wall, earning me a confused look from Skywalker, as though I'd grown an extra head.

I grin roguishly. Not many clones can block out a Jedi. Someone jabs my wounded shoulder and I yelp, swinging around with a punch aimed where I think my attacker's head is. Kix staggers back, rubbing his cheek.

"Di'kutla shabuir! What was that for?" I growl, lightly massaging my shoulder.

"Reflexes are definitely working. Nerves functioning properly." He mutters.

"Fair warning that you might be killed if you do that again." I snap, not amused in the slightest.

"Killing me over a necessary test is a bit of an overreaction."

"I'm not saying I'd do it on purpose. Just that I have a lifetime of unfortunate reflexes and usually a weapon on hand." I'd never kill a brother on purpose unless absolutely, positively necessary.

A sudden tap on my right shoulder earns Rex an elbow to his jaw. "I thought you of all people knew better." I huff, not sympathizing with him. He tenderly brushes the already-forming bruise with his fingers.

"I probably should have. Especially if you're in a bad enough mood to be shouting abuse at Kix." A twinge of guilt squeezes through the cracks in my armour. I hear a scuffle.

"Fritz, don't sneak up on me." I order.

"Whatever you say, Sweetheart." I'm up and aiming my gun at Bane in an instant. Gauntlets, I need my gauntlets. I duck and scoop up the weapons, clipping on my right one. My left arm is in a sling. Skywalker has ignited his lightsaber and the other clones taken cover. The fighting begins.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

The clones were tied up. Skywalker was in cuffs made specifically for Jedi. Cad Bane flew the ship towards a remote planet. Fritz shifted and groaned, beginning to awaken.

The bounty hunter activated auto pilot before walking over and smashing the butt of his gun into the young clone's head, effectively knocking him out.

Bane returned to his seat and took the controls back from the computer. A transmission came in from the planet's surface.

"Did you get them?" A strong voice demanded.

"Of course. They're all unconscious and bound." Cad chewed relentlessly on a toothpick.

"Good. I will be expecting you."

"With my credits, I hope."

"Of course."

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I wake up in chains. Alone, in a room trapped in eternal dim twilight. No, not completely alone. Someone else is in here. A girl younger than me, judging by her size. Her hands are tied behind her back in the same fashion as I am bound. Her back is turned to me. My head pounds and blood drips into my eyes.

"Hey, hey, wake up!" I call. The girl mumbles and sits up, looking at me. My mouth opens in shock. "Te Kriff? Meg te haran!?" I start into a colourful tirade of Mando'a. "You can't be...I...I'm the only one! But then, it's possible..."

"Stop rambling and speak Basic! You're a hallucination, right?" My heart wrenches, because I know that doubt, understand that fear that everything you see isn't real.

"No. Red spiders, right? That's what he's been using on you? And a greenish liquid?"

"How'd you know?"

"Two years of whatever's been done to you. Trust me, I know what you're going through. So, nickname, number?" I ask.

"CT-28-3759." My heart skips a beat. Just one number after me.

"I'm CT-28-3758. To save time, call me Twitch."

"You got a nickname?" She asks, hurt in her eyes.

"Trust me, it's a long, loooong story. Wait, how do I know _you_ aren't a hallucination?"

"Ever hallucinated of another you?" She points out.

"True. The thought never crossed my mind, actually. Something you'd expect I'd be thinking about all the time."

"So, I've got time." She murmurs. I glance around, glaring at the cameras. "They only transmit images. No audio." I relax slightly. And then I begin into my history.

§ § §

"Are you lightheaded? You know, lack of oxygen from not breathing while you talk." She jokes. I laugh.

"Parlour trick. I'll teach it to you once we escape."

"I've been trying for three months. How do you plan on getting out?"

"Trust me, I've done this before. But, it would be better to know who our captor is before we do anything. So, why don't you tell me a story?"

"Okay. Um, I'm twelve years old, standard years, like you. When I was eleven I got off Kamino. Until then I was in the exact same predicament as you were. I didn't care where I went, I just wanted to get away. It's kinda funny, since I started causing the Separatists trouble, too. By then you were already with the Republic. Then this Duro named Cad Bane caught me and gave me to Dooku."

"Déjà vu. D'haynna's Bow, I hate that guy. Okay, step one is to get out of the room and find our weapons. I need my gauntlets back."

"Whoa, wait, you have gauntlets? As in, ones with blades that come out?"

"Yeah, phrik arm-blades. How did you know that?"

"I had a pair like that, too."

"Acrobatic fighting style?"

"Working on it." I grin.

"Sorry, I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that I have a sister. Rex is going to like this. Kix might have a heart attack, though."

"Who're they?" She asks.

"Kix would be a medic and Rex was the captain of the 501st Legion. Before they disbanded. Both clones and both probably in the building. Fritz came here, too. Used to be in my squad." I gnaw my lip, looking at the door. It opens, startling me. I nearly scream when a tall, bearded man walks in. "No, no, no no no no no, you're on Coruscant! You're supposed to be in jail!" I start hyperventilating, scrambling backwards in terror.

"Twitch, it's nice to see you, too. Are you ready for arachni-therapy again?" My eyes widen and an involuntary whimper escapes my throat. My fear gives way to anger.

"_Two years_! You tortured me for _two years_ for information you _knew_ I didn't have! Why the haran can't you KRIFF OFF! And HER! She doesn't have any vital information. Nothing you don't know! DO YOU ENJOY TORTURING CHILDREN?!" I strain against my chains in an attempt to reach the Sith.

"Sleep." He opens his palm and blows a small spider onto me. I feel it bite me and collapse

§ § §

Tears are streaming down my face when I wake up. I curl up and cry, releasing the pent-up stress I've been carrying for so long. I finally manage to steel myself and sit up, wiping my cheeks on my shoulders. "That kriffing, hut'uunla shabuir." I spit.

"Speak. Basic. What are you saying, anyways?" 3759 says.

"Nothing friendly. Okay, escape plan." I begin doing what I'd done when Trandoshans had captured me, Keeli, and Shiny. Blood slips down my wrists. I desperately want to stop as my nerves spasm, but keep it up before wriggling my hands free.

"Wow. I never thought of that..." My cellmate mumbles.

"Took me two years to come up with it." The door opens a second before a wave of lightning slams me against the far wall. "KRIFF!" I howl in frustration.

§ § §

I'd have to cut off my hands to get out of these manacles.

"Somebody should've killed him when he was still stuck on Coruscant." I grumble.

"Why didn't you?" 3759 says.

"If I'd still been rogue I would've snuck in there and slit his throat. But I was already in the GAR, so on top of orders, I was off planet fighting droids."

"Meaning, they tamed you?" I scowl at her.

"I am far from tame! Point is, with my age, instead of being court marshalled I could've been kicked out of the army completely! I didn't want that to happen." She blinks at me.

"So you really became close with some brothers?"

"Yeah. Still can't believe Bane managed to take all of us down. In our own ship!"

"Looks like you were injured." She points out. My shoulder is pounding, though I've somehow not noticed.

"Rex got shot in the leg, me in the shoulder. Not the first time we've been hit."

"He's been shot?" She sounds surprised, because the Captain of the 501st Legion is supposed to be extremely hard to injure.

"Saleucami. Commando droids shot him in the chest. Would've hit his heart if it had been two inches to the left. Now start thinking!" I don't have to tell her what for. We're both on the same page; escape.

_No vents in here. Maybe the door is unlocked, but that doesn't mean squat since we can't get our manacles off. Maybe when we're moved? Torture's no doubt not confined to our rooms. It wasn't last time._

"We'll have to do it when the droids take us to Dooku's favourite chamber for torture." 3759 suggests.

"I was thinking along those lines, too. Now for that part where we 'wait'."

"We could pass the time. Which planets have you been to?"

"You already know."

"Oh, right. Ever...um...learn any songs when you were rogue?" In the dim light, I can tell she's a light shade of pink. Music isn't a hot topic for clones.

"I made a point of learning Vode An." I admit.

"I didn't um...could you teach me?"

"Sure. So I'll sing it once...

Glory!

One indomitable heart, Brothers all.

We, the wrath of Coruscant, Brothers all.

And glory, eternal glory,

We shall bear its weight together.

Forged like the saber in the fires of death, Brothers all.

One indomitable heart, Brothers all.

We, the wrath of Coruscant, Brothers all.

And...

Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.

Our vengeance burns brighter still.

Every last traitorous soul shall kneel.

Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.

Our vengeance burns brighter still.

Every last traitorous soul shall fall.

Forged like the saber in the fires of death, Brothers all!"

I cough self consciously once I'm done. She starts humming the tune.

"I like that. Any others?"

"Well, I uh, learned Ka'rta Tor."

"Let's hear it."

"Okay.

As ruthless as Death itself,

The pitiless face of The Jedi's wrath,

Let us look down on all who are before us.

Brothers all, one heart of justice."

She starts humming that instead.

"What were the lyrics again?" I repeat them, helping her as she sings and whenever she gets the tune wrong or forgets a word. Eventually, we're both singing it. I somehow get in a good mood and grin as we slowly work our way through Vode An.

I never got to sing with any other clones, and I'll admit, I want to hear what they sound like singing loudly instead of quietly humming. Two droids come in. While 3759 continues, I quickly say,

"Hang on, we only have a couple lines left," before resuming the war chant. The droids put handcuffs on our wrists before undoing the manacles. As soon as we're in the hallway, I jump straight up and swing my arms under my feet.

I wrestle the closest droid for its blaster, managing to wrench it around and shoot the other droid. Three manages to get her hands in front of her and snaps the droid's neck.

"A pair of B1s. Please, Dooku, you insult us." I chuckle while taking the key off the droid I shot. I unlock Three and she gets my cuffs off before I snitch the card the neck-broken droid had. We're in a dim hallway. Doors are on either side of us. I start wrecking all cameras.

"Weapons before others?" She guesses.

"Definitely. Come on." I start running.

"You know where you're going?" Three asks.

"I recognize this place. Been here before. Stop!" We almost collide. I destroy the cameras before leaping upwards and open the ceiling vent. Three manages to climb up and hold on to the metal cover while I jump up, gritting my teeth as I strain my injured shoulder to reach the top.

Once in, we place the cover back and shuffle along. No cameras are in the armoury because there are some outside, plus guards. Stupid mistake when I'm in the building. We hop down and I snatch up my gauntlets.

"Those are mine." Three hisses, holding up a larger pair. A comm is built into the left one's wrist.

"Sorry." I whisper, trading gauntlets with her. We clip the weapons on and I holster my DC-17s. She grabs Rex's '17s. I sling a DC-15 over my shoulder and also belt on Skywalker's lightsaber. "Mind grabbing that last '15? Kix'll kill me if I leave his gun." She nods and straps the blaster to her back. I remember to grab a grenade as well before we re-enter the vents.

Back in the prison block, droids are standing over the...corpses?...of the two unlucky B1s.

"Do we tell the Commander?" One asks.

"Are you kidding? He'd scrap us! We'll just find them on our own." I stifle a laugh and watch them look around, scratching their heads as best they can.

"So, um, which way?"

"Let's start from the left side to the right of the building." They leave, mumbling about what trouble they were in. I hop down and open a door. Empty. We go along the hallway until we find Rex. I hurry in and shake him awake.

"Wakey, wakey, Rex. Only a matter of time before Dooku notices his prison's gone to haran." I say while unlocking the chains. He massages his wrists. I hand him one of the DC-17s I snatched. Three gives up one of hers as well. His helmet is in the corner, out of reach when he was bound. He places it on his head.

"Twitch, is she..." He stares at Three through his visor.

"Yep. You have two sisters to worry about now. Time to go." He shakes his head and we walk outside. We find everyone but Skywalker. Kix saw me before my features matured more, so he recognizes what Three is quickly.

Fritz, however, needs a little help.

"Kix, your job just got two times harder than before." He says once he gets it.

"Concentrating, guys. Where's the General?" I growl.

"He's not in any of the rooms?" Asks Rex.

"None...wait, I know. By the way, this might involve fighting Dooku," I hand Rex the key and card, "so please work fast." I also give him the lightsaber. Now we're all armed, and going deeper into the building.

I find the room, take a deep breath, unsheathe my arm-blades, and open the door. Dooku turns and glares at us.

"I was wondering what was taking so long." Behind him is Skywalker, chained to the wall in a star position.

"You'd think after last time, security would be better. Ah, well. So, this is the part where we fight?" I ask sardonically.

"Of course." The Count draws his lightsaber. We start into the fight, me giving enough ground so that Rex can reach the Jedi, but not raise suspicion. Dooku tries zapping Rex, but I force his attention back to me.

Word of advice: if your shoulder is hurt, and your leg is weak, then don't fight a Sith. Three jumps in and helps with the fight, though she's greatly outmatched. The ignition of a blue lightsaber lights up the room.

With two and a half (such a good thing Three can't read my mind) of us fighting Dooku, the odds turn in our favour. By unspoken consent, we slowly start backing out of the room before dashing away.

"Go right!" I order.

"Twitch?" Says Skywalker.

"Trust me!" We go right. I take the lead and throw open a trap door low on the wall, jumping down the chute without hesitation. I'm surrounded by blackness and cold air brushes my face.

Then I land in water. Four more splashes tell me the others made it. Someone lands on top of me and I claw my way to the surface, coughing. It's completely black down here.

"Sorry." A clone mutters.

"Don't turn on your lights. Some things down here don't appreciate brightness." I warn.

"Where are we?" Skywalker growls, probably not pleased with the surprise bath in the icy water. I shiver.

"Caves. Best guess is they were going to make this the trash depot, but the caves put a crimp in their plans."

"We better get out of here before they come after us. Or we get hypothermia." Three states. I hear splashing.

"This way." I follow Anakin, trusting his senses to lead us out. First time I did this, I spent hours bumping into walls and stalagmites and...other things. Some nasty critters live down here. The current picks up after a while, then I hear water roaring.

"We better find another route." The Jedi decides.

"It's okay. There aren't rocks at the bottom." I say.

"When did you do this, exactly?" I think that was Rex.

"When I was twelve." Three yelps from up ahead. Over the rumble, I hear a loud splash. Looks like she'd been swept along ahead of us. I start swimming towards the noise and suddenly fall downwards into a pool.

I splutter and move before someone can fall on me again. Once everyone is down, and we know no one got knocked out, we start swimming quickly downriver, sped up by the current.

Now and then someone bumps into a half-submerged rock. The echoes down here make it very tempting to sing, but that would be stupid, seeing how we're still in danger. That doesn't stop me from playing Vode An through my head.

I collide with an armoured body, causing a sharp edge to dig into my wounded shoulder.

"Ow!" I yelp, rubbing my shoulder while my legs keep me up and moving.

"Sorry. You sure we can't use our lights?" I think that's Fritz.

"Wanna fight giant bugs?" I counter. He shuts up. I ram into a rock and grit my teeth, moving away from it. My foot scrapes bottom.

_The banks are dangerous. Stay in the water,_ I remind myself.

My teeth are chattering. It's really cold. This water hasn't seen the sun in a very long time. It smells of moss and mildew down here.

"How far do these caves go?" Skywalker murmurs.

"At this pace, I think we'll be in here for another three hours or so." No one groans, but it's easy to tell that everybody is unhappy with that time frame. "On the bright side, when we come out, it'll be fairly warm." I try.

"Guys?" Judging by the tone, Fritz is talking.

"What?" Rex mumbles.

"Toughen up." I snicker. Eventually, I'd let my squad in on the joke that had once been exclusive only to a handful of brothers. They'd taken to it immediately.

I think of the obstacle course on Umbara and mentally groan.

_What a fekking childish idea. I was such a di'kut when I was thirteen. But, hey, it worked. Though, I'm sure the others acted excited as a kindness instead of genuineness._

"Oof!" Someone must've hit a rock...again.

"Doesn't your night vision work?" I point out.

"There isn't any light to go on down here. And rocks don't exactly put off a heat signature." Kix grunts. Fair enough.

I hear a clicking sound. More clicking comes farther down the tunnel, until we're surrounded by the noise.

"Kix, try thermal imaging now." I whisper, nearly inaudible. A few seconds later I hear muffled gasps from the older clones as their helmets show them the walls and ceiling.

They're most likely seeing hundreds of bugs as big as their torsos, ruffling their wings. That accounts for the clicking noise, since the hard outer shell of their exoskeleton snaps against the armoured part of their wings when they clap shut. Gigantic beetles. Lips brush next to my ear.

"What is it?" Three breathes.

"Very, very large bugs." I reply, just as softly. The quietest groan comes from my right where she is. I know how she feels.

* * *

_A.N. ~ the next chapter will be up ASAP, but in case something keeps me away, you know how long my usual estimate is. Please review, because I really do like hearing from anyone who reads this. _

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Meg: [mayg] which, what, that, who (I used 'what' in this instance, as the underline shows)**

**Te: [teh] the (rarely used)**


	6. Breaking Barriers

The sun is too bright for me to open my eyes when we leave the caves. I clench my eyelids together and put a hand over them for good measure.

"Can't see. Am I about to hit a rock?" I ask. Rex, Kix and Fritz's eyes are protected by their helmets. Someone guides me to a warm, grassy bank. I climb up a four-foot-tall mud slope and wait for my vision to return.

Three plops next to me. I can tell by the sound of the impact of her sitting down who she is. The others join us.

"You were right about it being warm." Skywalker says.

"Once we dry off, it'll be brutal." I warn.

"Right now, I think I could live with that." Three jokes.

"How about in ten minutes?" I tease.

"How did you get off-planet last time?" The Jedi asks.

"Oh, um...heh. I stowed away on a ship. Not going to work with everyone." I chuckle nervously. Someone smacks my head and I swipe in their general direction. "What? It's not like I had a vault full of credits on hand!"

I hear a snigger before I'm shoved into the river, tumbling down the steep bank. I get to the surface, eyes opening in surprise. I squint at the dazzlingly bright world. "Not. Funny." I grumble, scrambling back up to the others. Three is howling with laughter and I tackle her, sending us both back into the icy depths. We return to the surface.

"Hey!" She yelps.

"Can't handle your own medicine?" I tease.

"I could handle twice as much and more! You can't handle a little water?"

"I could _live_ in water. Can't you handle a bit?" I snap back.

"I'd last twice as long as you! Wimp!"

"Whiner!"

"Drama queen!" I splash her, our eyes now open and glaring daggers.

"Di'kut!"

"Arachnophobe!"

"Like you aren't?" Our foreheads are pressed together as we glare. A smile tugs Three's lips. I snort, trying to hold in a giggle. We burst out laughing, grinning. I almost breathe in water a couple times before calming down enough to climb out, still giggling by the time we're both sitting with the others.

Skywalker and the older clones watch in bewilderment as we try to stifle the laughter. Every time I look at Three, I start all over again. We finally manage to downgrade our amusement to grins.

We both suddenly tumble into the river again. I resurface and glare at Kix and Fritz as they chuckle. Three and I nod to each other before pushing off the bottom, latching on, and dragging them in with us. This splashes Rex, who hops back and watches as we all drag ourselves out. My snickers have started again.

"Are you four done, yet?" Skywalker asks, though his stern expression is giving way to a grin.

"Depends. Anyone else feel like going for a swim?" Three laughs. I suddenly remember something.

"Haar'chak!" I curse.

"What?" Rex has taken off his helmet.

"My holoprojector." In an absurd moment of distraction, I suddenly remember Clara's dinner invitation.

"Destroyed when Bane was fighting us on the ship." Skywalker recalls. "You were unconscious."

"At least Dooku won't know what Clara looks like." Skywalker looks confused. Three already knows from when I told her my life story.

"When my memory was wiped, fake memories were planted. Clara was my 'sister'." I explain. Kix and Rex produce soggy ration bars and divide them among us. I pop my piece in my mouth and chew. I can tell Three has trouble swallowing her bite of the bland snack and smirk. "You get used to it." I jest.

"I've had worse." She replies cheerfully. I pretend to look horrified.

"Must've eaten cooked Hutt, then." I snicker to show that I'm joking.

"How'd you know?" She looks dead serious and I gawk.

"You are joking, right?" She holds the face for several more agonizing seconds before choking on more laughter.

"Of course I am! I'd rather starve that eat one of Jabba's relatives." I make a face.

"Ugh, that would be disgusting! Is there even any meat on a Hutt?"

"Don't know. Looks more like just oily skin and blubber to me."

"Such a good thing no Hutt can hear us right now. Jabba has a rancor and it is not friendly." She rolls her eyes.

"Like a rancor would be fast enough to catch us."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. It caught Rex." He shoves me in the river and I come up laughing. So worth it. My arms shake with exhaustion when I drag myself up. The last foot is slow and strenuous.

"Ah, is there a limit to the strength of Pyro Squad's famed sergeant?" Fritz teases.

"Better question; how well can the famed mechanic of Pyro Squad swim?" I reply with a grin, rolling onto my back in the sunlight. I fall into the river for the fifth time. "Te haran?" I growl, coughing up a bit of water. Three smiles.

"I'll take that as a 'why?'." She grins.

"That's...a nice way to put it." I claw up the bank, panting by the time I'm lying on the top again.

"You weren't using your brain. We all swam for three hours. We all clearly know how to swim." I glare. A muttered string of irritated cussing and minor insults in Mando'a is barely audible. Rex pinches my ear hard.

"Ow! Ow, owowow! What?" I howl as his iron grip painfully wrenches the cartilage

"Well, I figured since no one's bothered to sensor you, I might as well start." He teases.

"Okay, okay, point taken! Ow!" He let's go and I rub the sore skin. Three is hiding a laugh.

"You _have_ been tamed!" She giggles.

"Have _not_! _You_ try having him grab your ear!" I spit, glaring. Both our ears are pinched and we yelp. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you _like_ abusing your power!" I grumble.

"But you know better." He lets us go.

"Since when did you become my buir?" I mumble.

"Oh, I'm still your ori'vod, just keeping a reign on your language. Say what you like once you're an adult." I'm tempted to cuss at him just to be rebellious, but think better of it and lie down.

"By the way, we have about ten minutes before we absolutely have to start running." I warn.

"Ugh." Three lies down beside me with a groan.

§ § §

We hover near the outskirts of the town. The only ship in sight is a Shaethipede-class transport shuttle guarded by a bunch of droids.

"Really, you'd think they'd have better security."

"Yes." I agree with Three. Then I grin, grabbing the detonator that miraculously remained on my belt. "Who's up for a little hit-and-run?"

§ § §

_Boom_. I run with Three as people take cover. Remnants of a fruit stand rain down on us. We duck into an alleyway and I wave the cartridge of a droid's blaster teasingly.

"They're so easy to pickpocket, it's amazing they have all their body parts intact." I joke. We work our way just behind the ship and I toss the power pack into an empty intersection, shooting it to cause yet another explosion.

We clear out just before droids come to check out the noise. At the ship, so few are left its easy to take them out. Skywalker and the other clones hurry over. We get in and start it up.

Shooting outside makes me cringe, but they're too late. As soon as we've breached the atmosphere, Three and I start searching for tracking devices. We even go so far as checking our weapons over. Then I sit down and groan.

"How the haran did Dooku get out of prison?" I ask.

"No idea. Once we get to Coruscant, we'll find out." I shift uncomfortably at Skywalker's suggestion. I won't question him, since he knows the truth and will defend us, but I don't have to like it.

"With a bounty on your heads?" Three points out.

"I'll clear things up right away." Anakin promises.

"Fair warning that the Chancellor might ask you to visit one of the medical facilities." I warn my sister. She pales and shakes her head. We both know that's not high on our lists of things to do. I feel bad for upsetting her and smile. "Hey, let's see how your fighting skills are coming along."

We go to the back and take up positions. For the next hour, we go back and forth. She's good, coming along with the acrobatics, though me being two years her senior also makes me a critic.

I give her tips freely, suggestions and pointers on what to or not to do. She gets irritated and snaps every now and then, being sarcastic, but I take it in stride. I was, after all, just the same. Still am.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Rex noticed the silence and glanced back from the cockpit. Twitch and Three were asleep, the younger girl's head against the older's shoulder. The fourteen year old's head propped on her sister's.

He had to admit it was somewhat cute seeing the two sleeping like they'd known each other for years. He still found a smile tugging his lips when he thought of how they'd gone from screeching at each other to laughing in the river.

The two girls slept peacefully, clearly tired from the fiasco. He wished he could sleep as well, but things needed to be taken care of. Kix and Fritz had noticed the sudden quiet and looked, too. Even Skywalker snuck a peak, despite knowing what had happened through the Force.

The Jedi's body ached from torture. He could sense the two girls had also been hurt, though he wasn't sure about the other men. He had to wonder about when Twitch had blocked him from her mind and emotions on his ship.

That wasn't a common trait among clones. That brought him to the thoughts of another female clone. On top of Ko Sai wiping Twitch's memory, she hid both girl's existences. The Council needed to know about this.

§ § §

Twitch and Three woke up to Rex shaking them.

"Coruscant in ten minutes." He explained. The two girls nodded sleepily.

"M'kay. You alright?" Twitch mumbled.

"Fine. What about you?" She smiled.

"Great." Three suddenly yelped and shot straight up. Twitch saw what had startled her and fled a few steps as well. Rex looked down and saw a spider crawling along the floor.

He was glad his helmet was on, because he couldn't stop an exasperated smile creeping across his face as he stomped the arachnid into oblivion.

"You stop smirking!" Three snapped. Her intuitiveness was clearly as sharp as Twitch's when it came to sensing her brothers' moods.

"Easy, Spitfire." He teased while returning to the bridge.

"What's a word for 'jerk' in that language you keep cussing in?" Three grumbled.

"Oh, no. Rex'll _cut_ _off_ my ear if I start teaching you how to swear in Mando'a." Twitch said.

"You know I'll find out another way if you don't tell me."

"Yeah, but I can't have you yelling 'shabuir' across the ship." The older girl replied with a wink. They took turns using the refresher before looking over their gauntlets. "The gauntlets I stole from the Separatists exploded. Mind if I check yours over? Just in case?" Twitch asked.

"Sure. Ugh, I'd be screwed if these blew up."

"I felt the same way. I thought I'd be killed five minutes into the next battle." They talked while Twitch opened up the weapons and looked them over. Deep within the circuitry, there were the bombs. Twitch yelped and almost dropped the gauntlets. "Kriffing di'kuts! Haar'chak, you massive or'dinii!" She groaned.

"What?" Three asked anxiously.

"The last explosives were enough to kill a room of people. These ones are strong enough to destroy an entire building."

"Wait, what?" Fritz called, hurrying in.

"Bombs. Need to defuse them now. Then remove them. Taking them out first would set them off, and that would blow up the ship." She explained while grabbing a med kit and pulling out the scissors.

"I wasn't in bomb disposal! I don't know how to—"

"I know you weren't! But Pyro Squad wasn't named because we threw flowers around." Twitch snapped, cutting off the mechanic's panicked rambling.

"You were trained for this, though, right?" Three swallowed.

"No, actually, I was never officially trained for anything. Besides some lessons from Fives, I'm completely self-taught. Now shut up and let me think." They backed off.

"What's going on back there?" Skywalker called. His voice made Twitch jump.

"K'uur!" She shouted back, not caring that the Jedi wouldn't get it. Any other time, Rex would smack her for using that tone and choice of words.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

"Well, it's official; we won't die." I sigh, tossing the last disabled explosive out the airlock. I sit down, tired and admittedly scared.

"Since when is that ever official?" Three grunts, clipping on her now safe gauntlets.

"True. All I know right now is the only bombs I like are the ones in my hands and under my control." I lie on my back, not caring if there are only three minutes before we enter Coruscant's atmosphere.

"So, what was that you yelled at me earlier?" Skywalker sits next to us. I prop myself up on my elbows.

"'K'uur', means 'hush'. It was my short version of 'please don't talk while I disable these bombs, General'." I'm waiting for a smack, but it doesn't come.

"Well, good job making sure no one blew up. Three, the Chancellor wants to meet you once we land." She bites her lip. I place a hand on her shoulder and squeeze, knowing full well she doesn't want to meet Palpatine. I feel the ship setting down. The others join us as the hatch lowers. Outside, the night air flows against my face. An escort waits for us. "Twitch, he wants to talk to you once he's done with Three. Something about Kamino."

"Oh, that would be the bit where we snuck in and got my memory back and knocking Sai out in the process. Yeah, this might take a while." Three snorts in amusement. I was hoping that would cheer her up. Tup would have her laughing in seconds. Then I face palm for forgetfulness. "I'm a huge di'kut. Rex, how're Fives and Tup? Oh, and Splinter and Jesse and the rest of my squad while I'm at it." He shakes his head in amusement.

"All fine, last I saw them. We'll break into High Command to see how they are, later." Anakin raises an eyebrow and I giggle.

"Forgot to mention we did that to find out where Fritz was. Oopsie." I admit.

"You've got a long night ahead of you." Skywalker mutters.

"Not as long as the Chancellor's." I say to myself.

§ § §

Three went in before me. I'm waiting in the hall, guns already taken by the guards. My little sister's gauntlets were removed, though mine stayed on. I guess she's too much of a wildcard to be armed. She suddenly comes tearing through the door and tackles me in a hug.

"Don't let him! Please, please don't let him send me back!" She gasps, on the brink of tears. I hold her tightly, Skywalker watching in bewilderment.

"It's okay, it's okay, I won't let him take you anywhere. Where does he want you to go?"

"Ba—back to Kamino. Twitch, please don't let him!" She sobs. The Chancellor hurries out, hand on heart and a worried expression masking his face. I shoot him a _what did you do? _look before returning my attention to my little sister.

"You won't go back. I promise, you never have to go back. Sh, sh, shh. It's okay. It's okay." I stoke her hair and hold her while she cries, releasing stress that's been building for who-knows-how-long.

"How do you know I won't go back?" She sobs.

"Because I promised you wouldn't, okay? I don't break my promises. Too stubborn to not do something I said I'd do. You'll be alright." She snickers between breaths, starting to calm down.

"My dear, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Twitch is right. You absolutely do not have to go back to Kamino if you don't want to." Palpatine reassures. Three nods and reluctantly let's go, rubbing her eyes.

"Okay. Sorry, sir." He places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Twitch, may I speak with you now?"

"Of course, sir." I smile calmly at Three one more time before walking into the huge office.

Now I know how Rex must feel sometimes. Having a little sister is a lot more worrying than an entire platoon of shinies.

I don't even make it to a full stance of attention before Palpatine raises his hand in a gesture for me to relax. I stay at parade rest.

"I understand Miss Sai has a complaint against you. Would you please explain what has her so upset?" So I tell him about the memory wipe, the plan to get it back, even us breaking into High Command and later hitting Ko.

"I accept full responsibility for any charges placed against the others, because I am the sole reason they were in those positions to begin with." I finish. I hadn't mentioned the imprisonment or Dooku, though I'm willing to bet that's going to come up.

"If any charges are to be pressed, it's clear they will be on Ko Sai. But, another female clone, how did you meet CT-3759?" It's nice how he took the energy to remember her number.

"A bounty was put on our heads. Even before it came out we went into hiding. A bounty hunter named Cad Bane was after us. General Skywalker found us and took us to his ship, but Bane had stowed away and beat us in the fight. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I was second to be knocked out." I blush at this admission. "We were imprisoned in the building where I'd been held when I was a rogue. Three was in my cell. We escaped. Sir, Count Dooku was our captor, not Ko Sai."

"Yes, the Count escaped recently."

"And, sir, to hijack the ship we used to get to Coruscant, we had to fight battle droids. It's possible that the Separatists are rebuilding their army." I stand quietly while Palpatine figures things out.

"That...is very troubling. I will have to look into this. Thank you, Twitch. Dismissed." I stiffly salute and walk out of the room. Three still looks shaken as we walk downstairs. I wrap a protective arm around her shoulders. She pulls away slightly before caving in to her emotions and staying close to me.

_I feel so motherly right now._

_Shut up, brain, this is serious!_

I want to smack myself for arguing with my thoughts. We go outside and she pulls away completely. If anyone had been watching, it would've looked like I'd just started holding her out of humour or playful friendship. We get onboard.

"I spoke to the Jedi Council while you were in, Three. They want to talk with you and Twitch tomorrow morning." She shies away from the thought of more questions and people, but nods.

A knock on the door frame startles us. We open the door and in the dim light, I see another clone. A five tattoo marks the right side of his forehead. I tackle him in a hug with a whoop of excitement.

"Fives! How'd you know we were here?" I suddenly let go, self conscious at the act of affection. He's grinning, like me.

"Since you disappeared, I started checking the bounty charts. Figured you'd get yourself into trouble. And it isn't often you see a troop transport flying around anymore, so I decided I'd see who was on it." I chuckle.

"I'm glad you were curious. Wait, why'd you think I'd be in trouble?"

"When are you not?" He points out, widening my smile.

"Fair enough. Oh, Three, this is Fives." I turn around and gesture for the girl to come over. Fives stares. "Getting a headache yet?" I joke. He nods.

"There's some crazy story on how you two met, isn't there?" He groans.

"Are there any other types of stories I tell?" I jest. Rex joins us, exchanging a friendly nod with the former ARC. Kix and Fritz come out as well, both smiling. Even Skywalker seems pleased. I hear a stomp and glance at Three. She's staring at the ground where a smudge is.

"Arachnophobe number two?" Fives guesses.

"Oh, you try arachni-therapy and see if you want to tease us then." She snaps.

"And spitfire number two. Sorry, old habit to tease Twitch." My right hand clenches by a fraction. His eyes dart to the movement and a knowing look crosses his face.

"It's been a long week. Mind if we tell you everything tomorrow some time?" I ask, biting back a yawn. He nods.

"Sure. This is my comm frequency." He types it into my left gauntlet.

"Thanks. Do you have a job with hours I need to avoid bothering you during?" He shakes his head.

"Off day tomorrow."

"'Kay. Don't get killed?"

"Only if you don't."

"Funny. See you tomorrow."

"See you then." He agrees.

§ § §

"Ko Sai has hidden both your existences. Something she should have reported to the Chancellor and Master Ti. She will be brought in for questioning immediately." Mace Windu states.

Relief is hinting at Three's features, though we're both hiding our emotions' visibility as best we can, and I've made sure to block out my thoughts and feelings as well. Yoda is watching me contemplatively.

"Three, you are dismissed." Luminara Unduli says. My eyes flick to my right curiously to catch the last glimpse of movement before the younger clone walks out, though my head remains facing forward.

"Twitch, a strange talent you have. Block the Force, you can." Yoda murmurs once Three has left.

"Yes, sir." I reply, not sure how they will deal with me.

_Kill me? No, Jedi wouldn't kill over that. Imprison me? Still not the Jedi way, plus I've posed no hostile feelings towards them once, minus the Krell incident._

"Learn it, where did you?" He probes.

"During my imprisonment when I was a rogue." I answer.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Yoda gently attempted to slip past Twitch's barrier with the Force, but she was holding out. Sensing his attempts, the other Jedi began putting subtle pressure on the young girl.

Twitch shifted slightly, uncomfortable. She could feel them pushing now. Like a pack of wolves trying to get in and devour her privacy.

"How old were you?" Kenobi says, just so it wasn't completely obvious they were concentrating on invading her.

"Twelve." She had forgotten the 'sir', too distracted holding off the Council. Her teeth clenched slightly. It was all she could do to keep her feelings of irritation and worry at their attacks down to an undetectable monotone.

Really, she'd thought better of the Jedi. First obstacle they meet and they have to see if they can crush it. That's like discovering a new alien species and immediately conducting tests on them without permission.

A trickle of sweat slipped down the side of her head. A few Jedi, like Plo Koon and Obi-Wan, didn't add to the attempts. They had to admit, they had soft spots for the spunky young girl. Fisto didn't help, either. He'd talked to her, knew what she was like. He respected her wish for privacy.

Twitch, knowing that the only way to make them stop was to appease them, let out a flare of irritation coupled with a sense of deliberateness so they knew she'd meant for the emotion to slip. It was also sending a clear message. _'You are upsetting me; stop.'_ Yoda did stop, which was a clear sign for everyone else to cease as well.

"Dismissed, you are." He said calmly. Twitch stiffly saluted before walking out. Once the door closed, she shot a murderous glance behind her, still keeping up the barrier. That was a side of the Jedi she didn't know existed and never wanted to see again.

* * *

_A.N. ~ you guys know the drill. You know what I say about reviewing, and for now, I'm still posting chapters quickly, unless something causes me to leave the computer. Bye!_

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Buir: [boo-EER] father, mother, parent, guardian, ETC.**

**Or'dinii: [Ohr-DEE-nee] moron, fool, idiot, ETC.**

**K'uur: [Koor] Hush**


	7. Outbreak

_A.N. ~ Hey, since this is the seventh chapter, just reminding you guys that I do not own Star Wars. These disclaimers only come every seven chapters because my heart begins fracturing at every reminder, so it needs time to heal. In this FanFiction, I only own my ONs. Bye!_

* * *

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I rub my face with both hands tiredly.

"That bad, huh?" Three murmurs.

"Ugh, the whole Council tried breaking through my barrier. I barely blocked them out."

"Wait, you mean you can keep Jedi out of your mind?" She asks enviously.

"Dooku and I practiced together for months." I joke, though I'm nodding.

"Teach me some time?" Three asks.

"Sure. Really, all you have to do is keep your mind blank and not let your emotions rise to a certain level. It can be hard sometimes." We've been released to go wherever we want.

Mom had given me a credit chip, which I'd hidden in my gauntlet, so I'm going to buy a new holoprojector. Need to let them know what's going on. We walk along in the sun, soaking in the peace and warmth.

Our guns were taken away since we aren't technically soldiers anymore, Three not being one in the first place. Our gauntlets, however, we got to keep. We do technically own them. More technically, we don't, but hey, everyone just figured 'let us keep them'.

I'd passed on the dinner invitation, but everyone had politely declined. I guess Clara and Mom are lucky, seeing how having three clones over for dinner would empty the pantry.

At the shop, we go in and I buy a holoprojector, getting an extra one for Three as well. She holds the device as though it was the most precious thing in the galaxy. I add my new one as a contact to hers so we can talk if the need or whim arises.

"So, why'd you cut your hair?" She asks while we wander.

"Well, it got in my face whenever I was fighting and made it easy to overheat. Plus, whenever I was tinkering, sparks would get in it. And I wanted to see how I'd look with short hair."

"You look like a clone." She replies simply. I grin.

"You're coming along, too. Give it another year, you'll be Rex's twin."

"I'll be _your_ twin. Aren't you supposed to call Fives and explain...everything?"

"Oh, yeah. Y'know, we aren't too far from 79's. We're too young to be drinking, but a clone bar's as good as any meeting place for us." She nods, a hint of curiosity lighting her eyes. We slip into an alleyway to escape the noise while I call him.

"Fives here." Is the greeting.

"Fives, it's Twitch. Did I call at a bad time?"

"No. Ready to meet up?"

"How does 79's sound to you?"

"I'm near there. Is anyone coming with you?"

"Three. See you soon."

"See you." Someone hits the back of my head just as the call ends.

"Haar'chak, Meg te haran?" I curse, flipping around to see a pair of Trandoshan muggers. Three dodges a swipe and I stagger to my feet, unsheathing my blades. She does the same and we take up stances. "You want to lose your limbs _now_? _After_ the war?" I point out.

"Little girls shouldn't be wandering around alone." One hisses.

"Well, I guess I managed to get a bounty on my head after the war, so I can't really criticize. Three, feel like a fight?" I ask roguishly.

"Definitely. Twitch, you've fought Trandoshans before, right?"

"Enough for me to hate the entire kriffin' race. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering if you knew what you're doing." The lizards advance and we flip out of the way, dealing and dodging blows.

"'Course...I do. What, you think...I'd take on enemies...I can't handle?" I grunt through maneuvers.

"Um, yeah, actually, you have. Unless you think you can handle Dooku."

"For a short while, I can. Just not for ten minutes. You know, I once held off Savage Opress for an hour." I hamstring my attacker and slash his back, though his clawed hand marks my cheek.

"This is the police! Stand down _now_!" Someone shouts. The Trandoshans ignore them and keep attacking us. We refuse to retreat and hold our ground. I hear a howl from the 'Doshan fighting Three and see a scaly hand plop to the ground, body not attached.

"You'd think they'd come over here and stun blast the lizards if they wanted them down." I point out.

"Give them a break. They _are_ droids." She laughs.

"Yeah, they'll figure it out eventually. Until then, duck!" She does and I jump over her, feet smashing into her adversary's chest, my body scrunching in a horizontal crouch, before I launch backwards and slash the Trandoshan I've been fighting in the chest.

He yelps and backs off. The two reptiles glare at us one last time before running. I tenderly finger the four gashes marking the skin under my eye. Metal clamps over my wrists and I almost slice open a police droid.

"You guys stink at your jobs." Three grumbles.

"Cool it, Spitfire." I warn.

"Older female, explain what happened?" We're let go and face the droids.

"We came in here to call someone. The streets are fairly noisy. Those two Trandoshans attacked us."

"Where are your parents?" The second droid asks.

"We don't have parents. We were on our way to meet up with our brother." I answer truthfully.

"You require medical assistance. We will escort you to a hospital."

"No thank you. It's just a scratch. We're going to be late. Please, can we go now?" I getting uncomfortable.

"Tell your brother not to let you go out alone." The second droid says before they walk away. Once they're out of earshot, I chuckle.

"_'Tell your brother'_. Do these guys know _anything_ about teenagers?" Three laughs.

"Apparently not. Come on, we _will_ be late if we don't hurry." We start jogging towards the bar.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Fives walked into 79's and searched for Twitch and Three. He saw them at the counter. When he got closer, he could see a bruise forming over Three's left eye. Four bloody gashes that suspiciously resembled claw marks were on Twitch's right cheek.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Oh, a pair of unlucky Trandoshans rubbed us the wrong way." Twitch smirked.

"She means, they attacked us and we made their day miserable." Three said.

"A—" a loud explosion cut off the former ARC. The three exchanged glances before running outside. Screams echoed, coupled with animal-like noises.

A man suddenly charged the trio, mouth foaming as he made a guttural sound. He would have bitten Twitch's arm had she not had gauntlets on. She shoved him off with disgust.

"What the heck?" She yelped as he tackled her. She barely kept his mouth away from her neck. Fives grabbed and tossed away the rabid person. People started running by, screaming and being chased by more crazed lunatics.

The attacker leaped on a woman, biting into her flesh. For some reason, Twitch started counting.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven...twelve_.

The bitten woman stood up and jumped at them, screeching. Twitch kicked her chest.

"Run!" Fives ordered. He popped into the bar.

"Run or bolt the door!" He warned before dashing away with the others.

"Twelve seconds. That's how long it takes for whatever that thing does to you takes effect." Twitch gasped, horrified at what she'd seen.

"That was disturbing. What makes people do that?" Three replied.

"Insanity. But you can't pass that on in one bite. We need Kix." Twitch responded.

"The streets are too dangerous. I need my armour." Fives said.

"How far?" Both girls asked.

"Nine more blocks. Alleyways are probably just as bad."

"I'd kill for a pair of '17s right now." Twitch grunted, her leg beginning to pain her.

"I believe you. Call Rex. I'll let Kix know what's happening."

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I type into my comm as we run.

"Rex! Trouble. As in 'find a bunker' trouble." I yelp. Someone tries biting me and I slash their shoulder.

"Twitch, what's going on?" I hear Skywalker.

"I have no idea, sir. People are going crazy and biting other people. The ones who get bitten thrash around for twelve seconds before going feral themselves."

"Twitch, who's with you?" Rex asks.

"Three and Fives. He's calling Kix to see what could cause this."

"Okay, we'll meet you at Coruscant Medical." Anakin orders.

"Yes, sir!" I end the call.

"Kix has no idea what's doing this. He wants a sample." Fives yells over the noise. A Rodian tries nipping me and I cut off his hand.

"Here's our sample. General Skywalker is meeting us at Kix's location." I'm starting to click back into the military part of me.

"Alright, I still need my armour, but there are only three blocks left."

"No splitting up. That's just begging someone to bite us. And _gross_!" Three says.

"I know, I know, but a civvy is a civvy. I couldn't take the head." I reply.

"You are one sick sister."

"Twisted. I'm twisted. Sick makes it sound like there's a cure." I shoot back.

"There's my apartment." Fives interrupts. We dash through the lobby and shoot up the stairs, into his room, and bolt the door. Three and I wait with our backs turned while Fives changes into his body glove and armour. "Okay, let's go." He announces after five minutes. We turn to a fully armoured ARC trooper.

"Well, at least you won't be bitten. Let's stick to high ground, okay?" I suggest.

§ § §

We jump from roof to roof, climbing up and down according to what's required. Screams and maddened howls emanate from the streets below us. I can see Coruscant Medical up ahead.

"See what I meant by shore leave being the real battlefield?" I pant.

"Technically, this isn't shore leave, but I get what you mean." Fives agrees. We stop on the edge of our current building, just above a fire escape. An open stretch is between us and the doors. We climb down quickly and quietly.

We've made it halfway across the open street when a guttural sound comes. Our heads all snap to the right. A mangled Besalisk is staggering towards us. We stay still and hope for it to pass, but the infected man charges us.

We take off like startled rabbits, but the Besalisk reaches us just outside the doors. We dodge him and I try cutting an arm off, discarding the Rodian's hand. He tries biting me, gnawing on my arm like it's a piece of fruit.

I jerk up with the blade, skinning the roof of his gigantic mouth. Hands grasp at me. Three suddenly cuts the back of his neck, severing the spinal cord. It falls, hissing at us and roaring.

"Kix'll just love this. Come on, let's get our new sample inside." I grab an arm. Fives grabs the left two, while Three shudders before griping the spare one on my side. We go in, earning screams from a few willowy people.

"Hey, Kix! Got a present for ya!" Three hollers. In a few seconds, he appears, mouth slightly open at the paralyzed Besalisk. Blood is pooling under the infected's head from the cut my little sister had made.

"I take it this was Twitch's idea?" He asks while kneeling next to the angry man.

"I improvised. The Rodian hand was getting stale." I explain. He shakes his head.

"Twitch, what did you do?" I turn and smile at Rex and Anakin.

"Three paralyzed him. I decided to take advantage. Kix wanted a sample." I reply. "Oh, and if he bites you, you'll be infected and go crazy." They shake their heads, though I'm not sure what for. A high-pitched whine from the Besalisk distracts me. Kix is shining a light in the infected's eyes. It nearly bites his hand.

"Okay, we need to gag it. Now." Skywalker decides. So, a cut up blanket, a few curses, and a lot of struggling later, we have a safely gagged and paralyzed insane Besalisk.

"One down, possibly an entire planet's population to go." Three groans.

"Maybe we should start evacuating whoever isn't crazy. Fewer Infecteds to worry about." I say.

"Hey, is there a problem?" A woman who is either in her late teens or very early twenties asks.

"Um, a bit. Just stay inside, no matter what happens." Skywalker orders.

"Alright." Rex looks at the woman sitting at the front desk.

"Ma'am, please let everyone know that there's a problem and no one should leave the building unless authorities say so." He says. She nods and passes the news on over the intercom.

The crash of glass behind me whips my arm around. The severed head of an infected child falls to the ground. I back up in shock. The kid couldn't have been more than nine.

"Kriff..." I murmur. My stomach churns. Three has to stop my backwards progress so I don't trip over the Besalisk.

"Snap out of it, Twitch! You can go into shock after we deal with this." She orders. The drill-sergeant tone yanks me out of the pit I almost fell into.

"Like that would do any good. We need to find a cure for this right now." I drone.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

The next month was hectic. Civilians were evacuated onto ships. The clones were called back into service. An official decree that anyone who could, would help the troopers reach the fleet of ships floating near Coruscant.

Squads were reassembled, platoons and battalions put back together. Whole battalions of clones were reunited under the new threat.

Rex was once again the Captain of the 501st. The Jedi became generals for the second time in a decade. Many senators had been lost and saved. The Supreme Chancellor had been escorted to safety. The captured Infected, the Besalisk, was worked on continuously, tested for cures and studied. An antidote was yet to be found.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

Pyro Squad stands at the ready in our barracks. I see Decker, Fritz, Bark, Wing, and Tail. Our replacement for Dinger—Shorty—is also here. He's aptly named, standing two inches less than his brothers. His small stature is made up for a thousandfold by his personality and fighting skills, though.

I don't see Jax, which is worrying under current circumstances.

"Anyone seen our favourite sniper?" I ask. After growing closer throughout the war, we became pretty loose with the rules and regulations concerning rank. Within the squad.

"No. Maybe he's just late?" Tail speaks up.

"Let's hope so." I reply grimly. A squeal of amusement comes from the door. A child waddles in. The ships are being shared between civilians and soldiers. Someone should've come up with a better system somewhere, sometime.

I kneel next to the small Twi'lek. This one is about six or seven standard years old. "Hey, where're your parents?" I ask gently. In reply, the kid traces the healing cuts on my cheek. I wince when a nail catches a sore spot. Tail wanders over and smiles. The little girl gasps in delight.

"Nerra, numa?" She asks, looking between us.

"Nerra, numa." I confirm with a smile.

"Nerras?" She sweeps her eyes over everyone else. I nod. She immediately takes to the idea and latches on to Tail's hand. I try not to laugh as he struggles to decide on what to do. Push her away, let her hold on, what? He finally decides to gently pry her off, but she hugs his leg instead, undeterred. The others are snickering.

"I think she likes you, Tail." Shorty coughs, most likely hiding a laugh.

"She probably got lost." The scout replies irritably. I hear a small rumble and smirk.

"I think she's hungry. Anyone have a ration bar?" Decker hands me one and I offer it to the girl. She hesitates, then snatches it, nibbling a bit. While she's occupied, Tail extracts her from his leg. A knock on the doorframe catches my attention. I pick up the girl before turning around.

"Twitch, I think her mother is down the hall. She's freaked out. As in 'murderous' freaked out." Three reports.

"Thanks. I'll be right back. You're bunking with us?"

"Unless there's another Pyro Squad on board." She counters.

"That would get annoying. You guys play nice 'til I get back." I walk out, smiling at Three as I go. I almost collide with a pink Twi'lek who snatches the girl from me, chattering away. "Please, speak Basic, ma'am." I interrupt.

"No Basic." She manages. Just my luck. Now what do I do? I'm whacked on the head. I hop back with an indignant yelp.

"Hey! Calm down, ma'am. Your daughter is fine." She tries hitting me again and I lean out of the way.

"Alkin!" She spits at me. I don't know much Twi'leki, but I know when I'm being insulted.

"Ma'am, please calm down. If you want your daughter checked over—" I have to dodge yet another swipe.

A flurry of Twi'leki comes from our left. I glance over and see Kenobi. After a short argument, the woman seems to cool off and leaves. I salute and go into parade rest per hand gesture's order.

"Thank you, sir." I say, meaning every syllable.

"You're quite welcome. Your cheek is bleeding." I touch my fingers to the almost-healed cuts and pull them away to see blood. Well, I _was_ hit there.

"I'm alright, sir."

"Good to hear. And I do apologize for the Council's behaviour." I stiffen slightly at the memory.

"Nothing to apologize for, sir."

"Hmm, well, I must be going. Goodbye." I salute and walk back to the barracks. Everyone is quiet when I come in. Arms are crossed and I'm glared at.

"Everything okay?" I ask. Three is standing, somewhat guiltily, in the back of the room.

"You being a clone does explain a few things." Bark, ever the blunt one, says. My eyes narrow and I glance at Three again. She refuses to make eye contact. At least it isn't a big deal who knows now, anyway. I mean, a six year old could put it together.

"So, did the kid calling us siblings give it away or...something else." I muse. Three flinches.

"Sort of...both." Tail looks uncomfortable.

"So, Fives calling you his sister on Braxis was because..." Decker doesn't finish.

"I actually am his sister? Basically."

"Why not tell us?" Wing looks betrayed, which is sort of true, in a way.

"I kept it quiet at first because it's somewhat hazardous to be a female clone. Later on, when it became more apparent, I decided that anyone who could figure it out could figure it out." It's quiet for a while, and suddenly I'm scared my entire squad is going to become distanced from me.

Part of my mind asks why I didn't just tell them. It would've been so easy to just let them know. Then this could've been avoided. I'm really starting to rethink the last rest of my life.

"Understandable. Smart, actually." Tail decides aloud. Relief floods me that at least one of my squad members is standing by me.

"How can you support this?" Bark, however, has a short fuse.

"If we couldn't get it by just looking at her then we wouldn't die from not knowing." Wing argues. The hothead contemplates this.

"You don't seem too surprised." Decker looks at Fritz.

"He already knew." Three says quietly.

"When?" Bark moves on to his new target.

"Just recently. Found out...sometime during that whole mess." He looks at me apologetically, like he'd cheated by finding out instead of understanding himself.

"What mess?" Shorty asks.

"Oh, heh. Memories were wiped and I had to get them back. Long story for another time." I explain.

"How'd anyone manage to hold you down long enough to wipe your memories?" I smile at Wing.

"Not sure. Don't quite remember that bit."

"Uh-huh." Tail teases.

"Hi, Sweetheart." I step backwards and jab my elbow into a torso without looking.

"That's Bane's nickname for me. And Rex's when he has the urge to be smacked. Unless you're either of said people, my name is Twitch." I growl.

"Someone's in a good mood. What a nice hello after over four months." I spin around and realize its Tup, not Fives.

"Sorry. Thought you were Fives." He shrugs.

"I was sort of asking for it. New member?" He's looking over my shoulder.

"Tup, Three. Three, Tup." I reply. His eyes slightly narrow.

"You two don't happen to be related..." I exchange a glance with my sister before shrugging myself.

"Yup."

"Huh. Well, I just thought I'd remind you lot breakfast only lasts so long." We simultaneously glance at the clock.

"Yeah. We'll look right into that. Thanks." He leaves and we all head straight for the Mess Hall.

§ § §

I start when tiny arms wrap around my neck and under my arm. The small Twi'lek girl from earlier is making herself comfortable next to me. Tail tries to hide a smile, but he isn't doing too great a job.

"Just keep smiling. She'll recognize you any second and then we'll need a putty knife." I warn with a grin. The child looks at my food wistfully and I give her my thick slice of bread.

"Nerra, numa?" She looks between us. I softly laugh.

"Numa, nerra." I nod my head. She goes under the table and pops up next to the scout, leaning against him with her back as she eats.

_Told you so_, I mouth. He glares, though the smile tugging on his lips crushes any hostility. I notice the mother watching us like a hawk and smile reassuringly. Wing joins us.

"Aww." He teases.

"Nerra?" The girl checks with me.

"Nerra." She relocates once again to give Wing attention.

"Aww." Tail shoots back.

"Um..." Wing stares at the child uncomprehendingly.

"Just sit and let her be." I notice the rest of the squad and Three watching in amusement two tables down and give them a withering look. Man this kid is cute. It's a wonder her mom hasn't burst with adoration yet. I see a tan Twi'lek male watching. _Father?, _I lip, though he probably won't get it. I'm surprised when he nods.

_May I come?, _he mouths back. I nod and he sits to my right at a respectful distance. The girl looks between him and Wing before nestling back down and sleeping. Wing looks at her with complete helplessness, knowing he's trapped.

"She's usually so shy." The father says fondly.

"He's usually so friendly." I reply quietly. The girl is fast asleep now.

"She calls you 'numa'. I take it that isn't your real name?" I shake my head. "Though, she _is_ right about you being a sister?"

"Yes..." My eyes subconsciously flick towards Tail and I mentally kick myself.

"I see. If she's any bother I'll move her right away." He offers. Wing slowly shakes his head as though in a trance while he watches the child sleeping.

I can't help but grin again. She's just so cute! I hear a yowl and look to see a Trandoshan and Abyssin fighting each other.

"Tail." I prompt while standing. "Excuse us for a moment." I say to the father before walking over with the trooper. The Trandoshan takes a swing at his adversary and I catch the arm. "That's enough. This is a Mess Hall, not a boxing ring. If you two have problems, then avoid each other. You're not leaving the ship any time soon." And then the Trandoshan claws vertically over the original marks on my cheek. I refuse to flinch. "Yes, you're angry, I get it. Are you done now?" He gawks at me before tearing his arm away.

"Whatever." He mutters before stalking out of the room. Tail releases the Abyssin. He'd had the cyclop's arms pinned behind his back. We return to our table and I wince.

"Yep, I hate the Trandoshan race." I grumble. The girl has somehow stayed asleep throughout the whole thing. I press a napkin against my cheek, but blood soaks it quickly. Tail offers his and I accept it with a nod of thanks. When the bleeding remains persistent I sigh. I quickly eat the last couple mouthfuls. Decker is coming over with more napkins.

"Med bay." He decides when his attempt fails.

"You're going to make that an order, aren't you?" I guess.

"Sorry, Sarge. Med bay, now."

"You're a sergeant?" The father doesn't sound convinced.

"Mmhmm." I hum while standing up.

* * *

_A.N. ~ okay, so now maybe my fic is somewhat crossover since I based the Infecteds off the zombies in World War Z (which I don't own), but it's not full on cross. If you can't handle a little merging, too bad for you! _

_I'm aware that Numa's parents were killed, but it just broke my heart to orphan her, so I decided they should live._

_ As always, please review, critically or positively. Your words encourage me to keep writing. The next chapter will probably be up soon. But, if not, within 48 hours. Goodbye!_


	8. Honoured Remembrance

"You must really not like reptiles at this point." Kix teases.

"Depends on wether its name is 'Trandoshan'. Nature screwed up at some point when those shabuirs came into existence." He finishes rubbing on bacta and holds up a bandage. "No thanks."

"It's this or stitches." I weight the pros and cons in my head. He takes advantage of my indecision and places the bandage on me. I stay still, though wriggle away the second he's done.

"Don't cuss me out." He orders.

"I didn't say anything!"

"Yeah, but I know what that face means." Oops.

"I'll just pretend I'm not becoming predictable." My hand moves to paw at the bandage, but the medic whacks it.

"Don't touch." He orders.

"Okay. Look, I need to go make sure Three doesn't kill my squad."

"Good luck with that."

§ § §

"Unngh." Bark groans. In the barracks, the bunks have been moved so a large space is left in the middle of the room. It looks like he was just sparring with Three. He staggers to his feet.

"Sarge, you ever fought her?" Wing asks.

"We sparred a bit last month. And my name isn't 'Sarge' during free time." I remind. He nods, then looks at me expectantly. Tail and the others adopt the expression. It's obvious what they want and I remove my gauntlets compliantly, glad I have long sleeves beneath.

Three smiles and we take up positions before starting to spin and twist. I hold off coaching her. During an upside down 45° twist, I see her foot flying at my face and grab it as I land, tripping her other foot out from under her.

She lands with a huff before rolling away. We block and throw punches and kicks, darting at each other's openings. I manage to get a hit on her ribs before pinning her arms behind her back. She tries flipping me over her shoulder, but I know that move and hold her in place. After a couple more attempts she growls in frustration and relaxes.

"Fine, I give! You just wait a couple months." She mutters. I let her go and she rolls her shoulders. Someone grabs me from behind and I grip their arms, backing up and tossing them over my shoulder. Fives groans as he stands up.

"Knew you wouldn't forget that one." He says. My right leg spasms, almost giving out. I lean against a bunk as an excuse to take weight off the limb.

"Believe it or not, I did pay attention during our lessons." My comm goes off and I turn it on.

"Twitch here." I say in the military staccato all clones use when answering a comm.

"Sergeant, report to the main hangar with your squad. You have a new mission." Skywalker orders.

"Yes, sir." I reply before ending the call. My hand starts inching towards my bandage, but Decker stops it. "Okay, boys. Let's go see what the General's got for us. Three, were you assigned to the squad or just our barracks?"

"To the squad. Why?"

"You're coming with us, then. Sorry, Fives. You'll have to jump Tup. He's around here somewhere." I grab my gauntlets, holster my guns, and wait while the others clip on their armour. Three ties her hair back in a ponytail.

In a matter of minutes, everyone's ready to go. Fives had cleared out sometime during the activity. We head down to the hangar and walk over to Skywalker. We salute and stand at attention.

"So far, we've discovered the Infecteds are attracted to sound and movement. We're going to use that against them. Until we find a cure, they aren't civilians anymore; they're threats. You and a number of other troops from Torrent Company are going down to Coruscant. We're going to start cutting down the Infected population." Well, he chose the right squad. If he's looking to kill in large numbers, might as well choose the ones who specialize in that area. "Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" We chime.

"Good. Packs with explosives are waiting on your larty." He gestures to a LAAT/i gunship. We salute before going into the ship. I sling a pack over my shoulder.

"Remember, guys. You get bitten, you have twelve seconds to decide who shoots you." I warn grimly. They shift uncomfortable.

"If we survive this, we need to discuss your pep talks." Three grumbles.

"Just remember that you listen to anyone with the rank of corporal or higher, Spitfire."

"Oh, just make it official and name me that." She rolls her eyes.

"Don't tempt me." She glowers.

"If you two fight Infecteds as much as you do each other, we'll make it back in time for dinner." Shorty teases. We cut the chatter as a couple more squadrons join us.

§ § §

_Live bait, just wonderful. Great idea._

I flee a horde of Infecteds as they scramble over each other to catch me. A detonator I'd planted a couple seconds ago blows up, buying me a few more precious moments to reach the dangling ladder of the hovering gunship.

It starts flying off when I'm a couple feet away. I jump on and breathe a sigh of relief when we clear the reach of the horde. The back gunner takes out dozens of the Infecteds. I climb inside and shudder.

"That was fun. When do we go again?" A shot whizzes past my head and an Infected falls out of the open door. Spitfire lowers her arm.

"Anytime we want, genius." She points out. The original plan was to storm the Infecteds, but it's pretty clear by now that the best option is to draw them out before blasting them to kingdom come. I grab a handle and look outside, joined by the two other sergeants who are with us.

"There looks like a good spot." Ripper points at a square.

"Who wants to bet those alleyways are teeming with Infecteds?" Terry adds.

"I'm not betting against that. Who's our next runner?" I agree.

"I'm up for it." One of Ripper's boys offers. The sergeant nods.

"Go down near that square." He says into his comm, guiding the pilots. We descend and the trooper slides down the ladder. I watch tensely as he starts yelling, shooting the first couple of Infecteds that come after him.

The street bursts into a fray of activity as dozens of Infecteds suddenly take action. The trooper turns tail and flees. A lot of us in the gunship provide cover fire, Pyro Squad chucking detonators occasionally.

He tackles the ladder and begins climbing as we zip upwards. I set a really strong charge and chuck it past him, watching the explosion on the streets. Gunners take action, along with everyone else. The runner comes over the edge, limbs shaking from adrenaline and probably a little fear.

"All squads, check in." Skywalker orders over the comm.

"No casualties in Arrow Squad."

"No casualties in Blue Squad." My turn.

"No casualties in Pyro Squad." The others squads report no losses.

_This is good. We're doing good... We're going to have to nuke the entire kriffing planet._

§ § §

"Hotshot!" Ripper yelps. His squad member goes down in a massive, writhing sea of Infecteds.

"New location." I sigh over my comm to the pilots. No one is eager to shoot into the horde this time. No one wants to be the one to hit Hotshot. The back gunner ensures we don't have to. That was our first loss. May it also be our last.

A Toydarian Infected flaps on mangled wings in an attempt to reach us. I crossly shoot at it. The bolt goes through an eye and the Infected falls to the ground.

"We've got a stowaway!" A pilot yells. The ship stops its forward motion and we float in place.

"Top of the ship?" I double check.

"And very angry."

"Open a door." I order. The side door opens and I risk a glance down. Ugh. If I fall here, I'm a pancake. Tail, already knowing what I'm planning, hands me the end of a grapple cable.

I tie it in a harness around myself before grabbing the edge of a wing and swinging myself up. A human is running around, roaring from the back of his throat as he tries to get in.

I shoot and hit his side. He yelps and charges me. I take several more shots before raising my arm and wedging it into the mouth that's bearing down on my shoulder. We tumble over the edge and I push him away.

The line snaps tight. The man's nails gouge my hand, drawing blood. My heart skips a beat as I dangle, watching him fall.

"Sarge?" Tail calls.

"Do not pull me up. Repeat, do not pull me up."

"Did it bite you?" There's an edge of fear in his voice.

"Clawed me. I'm just being careful." So, I hang there for an agonizing two minutes before giving the go ahead to pull me up. I untie myself once I'm safely in the cabin and the door is closed. "Thanks for not dropping me." I say to the scout.

"Thanks for being insane." I can't help but grin.

"Are we clear?" A pilot asks.

"Yes. Let's find a new spot." Terry orders.

§ § §

We step off the larty into the hanger. No casualties besides Hotshot and a couple other guys. I'm a bit sick to my stomach after seeing the mangled Infecteds. Spitfire's looking a little green, too.

"Okay, guys, go get some rest. Good job out there." I say to my squad. There are tired nods and _yes, ma'am's_ before we disband. I still have to write up a full field report and everything my squad did.

I take a shower before sitting on my bed, quickly typing on a datapad. I feel a sudden pressure on the mattress and look up to see the small green-blue Twi'lek kid. She waves and looks at me curiously.

Maybe I should take a break from Mando'a and start learning Twi'leki. I wave back and she yawns. After a few minutes of us going from ignoring each other to sneaking glances, she leans against me, popping her head under my arm and resting it on my left one, which is pressed against my knee at the wrist, holding the datapad.

I type while she sleeps, unable to suppress a small smile at her cuteness. Once I finish the report, I place the datapad on the mattress under my bent knee and rest my head against the wall, willing sleep to come.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Tail and Wing walked in to the barracks to see Twitch asleep, cuddling the little Twi'lek. They exchanged smiles. The scout picked up the datapad.

He knew Twitch never rested after a mission before finishing her report. It was like an obsession, really. That she had fallen asleep meant she'd finished. He turned it on and read the last couple sentences to be sure before powering the device down again.

Wing was slowly reaching for a holoprojector to record the sleeping sergeant. Tail swatted the back of his head and shook his own.

"I'm going to drop the field report off. Don't do anything." He whispered.

"Me? Do anything bad? Of course not!" Wing replied, just as quietly, though a mischievous light in his eyes made Tail wonder if he should trust his brother.

The scout inwardly sighed, deciding that he'd know who to blame if anything bad happened. He left to hand in the field report.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

Snickering wakes me up. I keep my eyes closed, knowing it's probably my squad. And if they're laughing, it's best to know what about before deciding wether to fully wake up or try drifting off again. An exasperated sigh comes from someone.

"They look so cute!" Someone exclaims in a whisper.

"Say that to her face and see how long you stay on your feet." Clones have the same voice, but their tones and manner of speaking usually tips those who pay attention off. Thus, I know that that was Tail. The girl is still asleep against me.

"You know, guys, there are some mechs that need scrubbing if you want to stay where you are for five more seconds." I say, eyes still closed. Scuffling announces their movement. The Twi'lek shifts, but doesn't wake up. My eyes open and I zero in on the empty space where my datapad had been.

"I dropped it off." I glance up at Tail.

"Thanks. I think I'm trapped until she wakes up." He smiles fondly.

"Her parents know where she is?" Oops. My expression speaks for me. Probably should've looked into that, had I not been so kriffing tired. I slowly and gently pick the child up, bridal style. She stays asleep.

I flinch when the ring of something hard hitting metal sounds. Wing is frozen, watching us with a look that screams _guilty_. He must have hit his bucket on the bunk rail by accident. The kid is still asleep.

_Wow_, I lip to Tail, surprised anyone could sleep through that. How am I going to get down without jarring the kid awake? The scout raises his hands to hold the child up. _Thanks_, I mouth. Between the two of us, we get the girl down safely. I take her back. Tail goes to a computer console and does some quick research.

"Only Twi'lek couple on the ship are on the second level, room forty three." He whispers.

**(Not sure how the decks and such work on cruisers. Oh well.)**

"'Kay. Thanks." I breathe back before leaving to return the child. At the parent's door, I gently knock. Thankfully, the father is the one who answers.

"You woke up. Not surprising you came to first. She could sleep through the apocalypse." I smile, not pointing out an apocalypse has already occurred while gently handing his daughter over.

"She even stayed out with my squad in the room. That's impressive."

"She's very comfortable around clones. She met a couple when the Repeblic freed us from the Separatists."

"Really? What colour was their armour painted?"

"Yellow. Their names were, I believe, Boil and Waxer." I feel like I was just punched in the stomach. Waxer, who had died on Umbara because some brother had shot him.

"Oh. Um, that's...oh." For one of the few times in my life, I've found myself unable to speak.

"What happened?" The father looks worried.

"B—Boil, I'm not sure about, but Waxer...Waxer died fighting on Umbara."

"Oh...I hope he was honoured at his funeral." I stare at him blankly. Then I remember civilians bury their dead and hold services. Our dead have their names spoken in a daily remembrance if they had friends who are still alive.

I don't know how to respond, so I look away, unable to crush his hopes. I finally think of something to say. Waxer and Boil were close, so he's remembered by at least one person...

"He was honoured. We couldn't hold a funeral for him because of the fighting, but he was honoured." I say.

"That's good. Thank you." I smile and nod.

"I need to go. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." As I walk back to the barracks, I whisper to myself and the brothers who have passed.

"I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal, my brothers. Rest in peace, Dinger and Waxer..."

* * *

_A.N. ~ ...I won't spoil the mood. You know what I'd say, anyways._


	9. Planet Of Fire

Many more attacks on the Infecteds are made. Still, much of Coruscant's population was infected, so it's going to take a while.

I'm pretty much constantly waiting for Dooku and a new droid army to attack us. We are pretty vulnerable, despite the entire clone army being right here. Thus the vulnerability, I suppose.

I've contacted Clara, let her know what's happened, made sure no outbreaks have occurred on other planets, and so on. I've taken my bandage off without Kix's permission, though the cuts are healing quickly enough to not make me worried.

I've barely talked to Rex since this whole thing started. Field reports have been going to both High Command and the scientists working on the Besalisk. Jax hasn't shown up, which really worries me. I'm almost convinced I should include him in the daily remembrance.

Becoming an Infected has definitely hit the top of my _worst ways to go _list. Now I'm working on my latest field report. We'd just come in from Coruscant. I'm tempted to leave some sarcastic remark for the scientists, like, _'so, now that we lost another man, think you could hurry up with that cure, please?'_. I don't, of course, but it's sorely tempting.

"You look royally annoyed. Do they really need another field report?" Spitfires wanders over.

"Yes, because one of the sergeants might have noticed something the rest of us didn't. If the scientists are so interested, they should come down and watch from a larty themselves." The last part is an inaudible grumble.

"What was that? Couldn't hear you over the grizzly bear." She teases.

"Ha, ha. Oh, hi Numa." The little Twi'lek smiles and waves, observing Spitfire nervously. "Numa, numa." I point between us. This earns my sister instant trust and the little girl hugs the tweenager before climbing up and nestling down next to me, skimming over the text without comprehension.

"Aww, she really likes you."

"Cute, Fire. Just wait 'til she takes to you." I still smile. Tail comes bolting in.

"Sarge, you're needed in the communications room right away." He pants. The almost-asleep Numa whines a little. I stroke one lekku hurriedly before hopping down.

"What's going on?" I ask as we speed walk. Tail may as well be my corporal, though the promotion has yet to happen.

We jog towards the nearest lift, though judging by the way he moves ahead of me before falling back, he wants to go faster. I don't usually see the scout this rattled.

"Transmission from Dooku. He asked for you directly." That does make me run faster. Our boots slide on the recently cleaned floor and we almost crash into the wall. I press the button for the bridge and wait impatiently. The door opens and we go in.

"Why does he want me?" I ask.

"Not sure. The only thing he'll say is he wants to talk to you."

"Because we so get along." I mutter. The doors open and we stride quickly towards the communications room. Inside, a full sized hologram of Dooku waits, along with Skywalker, in the flesh and glaring daggers. I salute.

"I wish to speak _only_ with Twitch. Unless, of course, that is one of your squad members?"

"Yes." I reply curtly. Skywalker gives me a warning look before stalking out.

"Twitch, it's nice to see you. Who might he be?" The Count says pleasantly.

"A member of Pyro Squad. What do you want, Dooku?" I snarl, barely concealing my hate for the Sith. He gestures and a pair of commandos walk into view, forcing a prisoner with hands tied behind his back onto his knees. My heart jumps into my throat. "Jax, are you alright? Have you been hurt?" I demand, eyes narrowing at the Count.

"I'm alright, Sarge." He assures me, looking somewhat terrified.

"He won't be, if you don't come to my location. Alone." Dooku says. "If you come with anyone, he will be killed before you make the front door." I grit my teeth.

"How do I know you won't kill him the second you have me?"

"You have my word, he will be released and allowed to fly away in the ship you come in." My mind races.

"Sarge, don't come. You can't trust h—" A droid hits him in the head, silencing the sniper.

"Don't!" The word escapes my mouth before I can stop it. "Fine, Dooku, I'll be there. But I want a live holo feed with him straight until he's landed safely, got it?"

"Of course. Thats understandable. I will see you soon at these coordinates." I look at the coordinates he's sent.

_Mustafar. Fan-fekking-tastic._

"I'll be there." I promise before the transmission ends.

"Sarge, you can't really trust him!" Tail sounds shocked.

"I'd rather be dead than trust him. The end result would be the same, anyway. I'm still going, though." He stares.

"But...he might kill you!"

"If he does, it won't be quick. That's what I'm counting on." We walk out. "Not the first time I've had to escape imprisonment, and with my luck, it sure as heck won't be the last."

"What did he want?" Skywalker demands.

"Either I go to his location alone, or he kills Jax. I've been promised Jax will be allowed to fly the ship I go in back here and a holo feed will be kept up between us until he lands." I explain.

"But you aren't going, right?" My silence and steady gaze answer him. "Twitch, you can't."

"Sir, I _do_ know how to get away from Dooku. I've been doing it since I was ten." I reply with a slight smile, feigning a light attitude towards one of my greater fears.

"He may have upgraded his security."

"Then escaping will just be a better exercise. I'm not going to leave without a tracking device."

"He'll find it on you." The Jedi argues.

"Who says it'll be _on_ me?"

§ § §

"I can't believe you're doing this." Tail complains.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." He shakes his head while I walk towards a Lambda shuttle that I was assigned to. I'd read up on the ship and memorized everything about it. "But until I get back, you're taking over Pyro Squad." This doesn't get rid of him.

"I hope you don't come back in a body bag."

"Heck no. Just trust me. There's no way Dooku'll kill me right away. He'll want to drag it out."

"Why don't—"

"Tail, you're not talking me out of this." I snap, the underlying fear I've been burying is attempting to climb out of its grave, accidentally telling him that I'm not as emotionally detached from the situation as I've thus far shown.

"I'm just worried." He admits.

"I'll be alright. I promise." I say, expression and tone softening. We stop at the waiting docking ramp.

"Okay, okay, just be safe." He won't make eye contact.

"You too. If I come back and you've been infected, I'll drag you into that lab and find a cure myself." He smiles. We exchange nods and I get in the ship.

§ § §

An incoming transmission catches my attention. I'm breaching Mustafar's atmosphere right now. A small image of Dooku appears.

"I'll be expecting you on Landing Pad B." He greets.

"I'll be there. You better not go back on your word. If Jax isn't there in perfect health—"

"He will be. Unless you have another passenger?"

"No. You can scan my ship if you want. You won't find anyone." I reassure. I'd checked the entire darned thing myself for stowaways. I can see the building now. It's a fairly large complex.

"Come out unarmed." I'm warned before the call ends. I land and place my guns plus gauntlets on the copilot seat before walking out. See a group of B1s waiting with a still-cuffed Jax, who's in full armour. I dash over to him, ignoring the raised guns.

"Are you alright?" I demand urgently.

"Sarge, you shouldn't have come!" He growls.

"I've been hearing that a lot. Are. You. Alright?" I respond.

"Yes! Will you be?"

"Depends on Dooku's mood."

"That's enough! Put your hands behind your back." A B1 orders.

"As soon as my man is on the ship." I counter. It tries to decide, wondering what it should do.

"Fine. Let him go." It decides. Jax is unbound, but hesitates.

"Get going. That's an order." I say firmly. He gives me what I think is a helpless glance through his helmet's visor before obeying. Once he's disappeared over the top of the docking ramp, I let the droids cuff me. I'm marched inside and into a room with a large holoprojector. Dooku appears as a full sized blue hologram.

"This is where you will remain in contact with your squad member until he lands." The count orders. I nod before he disappears. I have a droid type in the frequency for me, and Jax appears.

"Sarge, are you alright?" He speaks first.

"I'm great. So, part of my deal with the devil was I get to talk to you until you land safely back at the fleet."

"Thanks, but you still shouldn't have come."

"Because you're so much more used to being captured than I am." I reply sarcastically. I suddenly realize Dooku may not be in the building. He's only appeared via hologram.

_Of course he isn't here! He probably suspects foul play and is hiding at some safe haven. _

I suddenly rethink my plans.

"Care to give me a history lesson?" He asks in the same tone I'd used.

"Maybe later." My eyes flick to the right, indicating the droids' presence is my hesitation. "And please, make sure my gauntlets don't get lost. It'd be a pain to track them down." He tilts his head slightly at the tone I'd used for 'track'.

"I'll be sure to put them in your cubby. Along with your guns. Did you pack a bazooka, too?"

"If I had, I would've just blown up the droids, grabbed you and ran. Now that I say it aloud I feel kind of di'kutla." I can hear the B1s shifting nervously.

"You might've thought it through a little more." He agrees.

"So, don't tell me you let a group of tinnies jump you." I say.

"That monster Savage, actually."

"_He_ got out. Chancellor might've mentioned _that_ when he confirmed Dooku's escape." I mutter.

"I'm not even going to ask. How's the rest of the squad?"

"Doing alright. New member you'll want to meet once you get back."

"Who's in charge with you gone?"

"Our scout. Give him a smack and tell him to toughen up when you see him, okay?"

"Sure."

"Oh, and check the ship for explosives..."

§ § §

Jax drifted off after a while, but I continue to vigilantly watch his progress. To avoid cramps or fainting, I walk around the room, making the droids nervous. My squad member wakes up when the computer announces, _approaching destination_.

"Sarge, you still good?" He peers at me.

"Yep. You?" Even though I know nothing has happened to him, I still have to ask.

"Fine. I'm landing now..." I hear the muffled thump of his ship setting down.

"Good. K'oyacyi!" I suddenly jump up and get my hands in front of me before whipping around and breaking a droid's neck, stealing its gun. I use the body as a shield before shooting several more droids. The last ones turn tail, but are shot. "I'll see you soon. Do send someone before I'm asphyxiated by the smoke." I say cheerfully before ending the transmission.

I use a gun and, after a minute or two of fussing, I shoot through the link binding my hands together. I take another E-5 and then leave the room.

I search for the nearest armoury. I look down a hall and see two B1s standing guard in front of a room. Bingo. I shoot them before running to the door, taking a keycard off one and getting in.

Inside, I stop short. Lying on the floor is Jax, in only his body glove and bleeding from a wound on his forehead. Throughout the holo feed, the other Jax's helmet had never come off once. Kriffing decoy! I practically shove him awake.

"Uhnn...Sarge?" He moans, staring blearily at me.

"You get in the best messes. Come on, up and at 'em." I shoot through the chains holding him. He staggers to his feet, though I can tell he's hurt. My leg isn't feeling too wonderful, either. I hand him one of the guns. "So, was Dooku actually here, or was that just a cross-feed?" I ask as we leave the cell.

"Cross-feed. You have a plan?"

"More or less." I open a door and am faced with the armoury. "There she is. Okay, we're going to need those breath masks." We grab one each. I snatch up a pack and fill it with air canisters. "Where are you hurt and how badly?" I demand.

"Nothing that'll compromise movement." He assures me.

"Okay, but if we move too fast you better tell me. A short break is a lot better than you collapsing." He nods.

"You shouldn't be here." A droid yelps.

"Roger, roger." I mutter before shooting it in the head.

§ § §

Actually getting outside was a piece of work, but we pulled it off, and now we're wearing the masks and jogging along the dangerous terrain. I jump a lava creek, feeling the heat as I pass over it. I don't like hot climates. A bit of cold I'm fine with, but really hot and or humid weather just kills me.

"You holding up alright?" I ask once Jax makes it next to me.

"Fine. Wonder what happened to my armour..."

"Uh, used as a decoy. Don't worry. You'll get it back once we reach the fleet." We slow our pace to a walk for now. I inwardly cringe at what I need to say next. "My sister has joined the squad."

"She's not a replacement, though, right?" He asks worriedly.

"Nope. A bounty was on my head and Bane caught me. We met up in the prison I was held at. Didn't even know she existed until then."

"Uh...okay." I need to stop dancing around the inevitable.

"The reason for that was because...I thought, well...I was the only female clone." For some reason, I'm hesitant to tell the sniper. Maybe I'm afraid of pushing him away? We walk in silence.

"So, is that why you were willing to risk capture to free me?"

"Yes, though it was more along the lines of helping a friend than family obligation."

"Thanks. You do actually look like a clone. Guess the idea was so far out there my brain never put it together."

"That happens a lot. So, Savage caught you, huh?"

"Decoy tip you off?"

"Uh-huh. Some days I wonder why we didn't kill him and Dooku when we had the chance."

"That goes for both of us." He suddenly grunts and sucks in his breath, clutching his side. I cast him a worried look.

"Bruised or broken?" I ask, looking at his ribs.

"Bruised. I'm fine, really."

"Remember that part where if you collapse, we're screwed? Take a break. I'm going to scout out our path." I jog ahead, looking for the easiest route possible. When I get back, Jax is sitting with his back propped against a spire of rock.

Our black clothing is an asset out here. Though, my arms are starting to blister without sleeves to offer protection. I sit next to him, massaging my leg subconsciously.

"You're alright?" He questions. The sniper is kind enough to not mention or stare at my scars.

"Yep. You?" This becomes a common conversation between us throughout the day. Along with the hourly ritual of changing to fresh air canisters and tossing the old ones into lava.

Unfortunately, after eight hours, we have only one air canister left. I can feel the minutes ticking by as our air runs out. We keep walking, though. I haven't told Jax about the problem yet.

Once a light on his device turns red and it beeps loudly, I fish out the last canister and hand it to him. As soon as he's switched the small capsules, I take off my mask, coughing at the smoke immediately.

"Sarge?" He asks.

"No air left. Don't worry. Our pick up should be here before I pass out and asphyxiate." He starts reaching for his mask, but I shake my head. "You're already injured. I don't need you injured and having breathing problems."

"You're going to end up in a med bay." He tries deterring me.

"Probably, but I'm good at making escapes." I reply with a wink. Unfortunately, a wracking cough weakens my reassurance. My eyes, already irritated, start watering as the smog stings my lungs.

We continue walking along. The miles we cover seem a lot longer without clean air, not to mention my limp is getting much worse. At some point, I trip and have to struggle to regain my feet.

The last of Jax's air runs out quickly, forcing him to take the full brunt of the smoke as well. The more we take breaks, the harder it is to get up, therefore eliminating our breaks. We need water desperately, too. My throat feels sticky whenever I try to swallow.

§ § §

My eyes drift open for a second. I feel myself swaying. Whatever's beneath me is hard. I try to sit up, but a large, strong hand keeps me down. I make an attempt at talking, but that ends in a fit of coughing. I can taste blood on my sandpaper tongue.

"Rest. You and your friend are safe." The person in front of me says. My eyes catch a glimpse of a long, bony leg before they close.

§ § §

I wake up in a dark room. I'm in a bed, arms tied down. For a minute, I think I've been captured by Dooku again and start panicking. Then I remember the blurry figure telling me I'm safe.

I try to reason with myself. If they wanted us dead, they could've left us where we dropped. We're complete strangers. For all they know, we're escaped murderers. Okay, technically we _have_ killed, but that's different.

I'm desperately thirsty. No use calling out, though, because I can't raise my voice to a whisper right now. I see a camera and narrow my eyes. Who's watching me? The door opens and I start. A stocky Mustafarian, a Southern, judging by her (or his?) build, comes in.

"How do you feel?" Definitely a her.

"Wa—" my voice cracks and I cough.

"That answers that." She responds, tilting my head up while offering a cup of something. I'm cautious at first, naturally, but when the cool water touches my lips, I have to give in and gulp down the contents.

The Mustafarian pulls away before I can drain the cup, causing me to look at her, expectant and unhappy. "Not too quickly or it will all come up again."

"My friend?" I croak, feeling better after the drink.

"Recovering, like you. Who are you two?" I debate wether I should tell her or not, but heck, I'm in no position to refuse her anything.

"Soldiers in the GAR. The Separatists on this planet were holding my friend hostage. I came to free him. Our breath masks ran out of canisters."

"Soldiers? But you are a child."

"Yes, and the only exception minus Padawans, but I'm capable." I defend, coughing slightly.

"Capable of nearly suffocating." She replies drily.

"You think that's bad, you should've seen what happened with the roggwart." I joke, chuckling before breaking into another cough. I try to cover my mouth, but the restraint stops my hand. I momentarily forget myself and fear flashes across my face as I tug, then my shabla brain calms down.

"You've been imprisoned before." The woman guesses.

"I'm embarrassed to admit that I couldn't count the number of times on one hand." I cough again. I'm given a sip of water. "Thank you. How badly is my friend hurt? He was beaten before I got him out."

"He has some bruised ribs, bruised bones elsewhere. In general, he's very bruised, but nothing is broken." I sigh in relief.

"Well then, I owe Savage a bit of a visit." I mutter to myself.

"You are associated with that monster?" Her voice rises slightly.

"In the sense of I try to kill him, he tries killing me." I say. "I take it you've had some trouble with him?" She nods absently.

"Yes, he's been quite the problem lately." I'm really starting to get uncomfortable with my arms pinned. It makes me doubly aware of how vulnerable and open to attack my torso is. Every single internal organ very much not safe. "Can I trust you not to cause us harm?" She asks suddenly.

"You have my word. I only hurt those who hurt me and mine."

"A somewhat...petty way to go about things." She mumbles while unstrapping me. I massage my forearm and sit up.

"Sounds worse than it is." I reply. I stand and promptly plop back onto the bed, dizzy and not willing to put weight on my right leg. "Haar'chak, today is going to be fun." I growl to myself.

"Do you want to see your friend?" The Mustafarian asks, kindly ignoring my momentary weakness.

"Yes, please. Thanks." I stand again, visibly lopsided as I favour my leg.

"Is your leg hurt?"

"Old battle wound." I dismiss. She grumbles to herself, but leads me into and down the hallway to another room. I hear a crash and we rush in. Jax is bucking and kicking. A Mustafarian is staggering to his feet, picking shards of a smashed glass out of his skin. Water covers the floor. Jax makes to kick him. "Jax, stand down! That's an order." I bark. He freezes, looking slowly from the Mustafarian to me.

"Sarge..." He trails off uncertainly.

"If they were trying to hurt us, then I'd have gotten you out by now." I say in Mando'a for privacy's sake. He nods, though watches the Mustafarians distrustfully. "Apologize." I order, still in Mando'a.

"I'm sorry." He says, sounding fairly genuine about it.

"It is alright. You must be disoriented." I note that the man isn't bleeding. That's good. I walk over and untie the sniper. He bolts to his feet, clearly not liking being restrained, either. Another Southern Mustafarian comes in.

"A man by the name of Anakin Skywalker is waiting on a landing pad for you two." He grunts. That's the best news I've heard in weeks.

"Thank you." Once he's gone, I turn to the other Southerns. "And thank you, as well." I add, secretly uncomfortable with the politeness.

"You are welcome. Come this way." We follow them through corridors.

"Are you alright?" I ask quietly, slipping back into Mando'a again.

"Yes. You're limping." He responds in kind.

"Memento from the Battle of Moleen." I shrug.

"Right, when you were fighting Grievous?" A far away look crosses his face as he recalls the battle.

"Yeah, then. Di'kutla beskar'ad." I chuckle. He imitates Grievous' voice.

"I am _not_ a droid." I suppress a giggle.

"Alright, ninety nine percent idiotic droid." I barter. We can't help but chuckle.

"You two are coming along well in your Mando'a." The female Mustafarian praises in said language. We stop short for a second before resuming our pace.

"Vor'e." I reply, somewhat hesitantly.

_How much has she been listening in?_

We step outside and I see a Lambda shuttle with Skywalker waiting in front of it. As soon as we're close enough to be heard over the distant eruptions, he acknowledges the Mustafarians.

"Thank you for assisting my troops."

"You are quite welcome." Then the Jedi's gaze locks on to me.

"You have a field report to write up. As soon as your squad is done with you." The last part hints at a smile, though the expression is nonexistent.

"Yes, sir." We get on and lift off. Thank goodness we get to leave that rock behind.

* * *

_A.N. ~ there we go; Chapter Nine. The next chapter will be up within 48 hours. Please positively or critically review. _

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**K'oyaci: [Koy-AH-shee!] Cheers, hang in there, come back safely (Literally; stay alive)**

**Beskar'ad: [BES-kar-AHD] droid (Literally; child of iron)**

**Vor'e: [VOHR-ay] Thanks**


	10. Arachnids

After a short visit to the med bay, we're on our way to the barracks. A tracking device had been removed from under the skin of my arm.

Inside, we find the entire squad...plus a new guy. I have time to raise an eyebrow before the questions start. Jax is welcomed warmly. Things are asked, like _are you two alright_, _what happened_, _did you fight Dooku_, et cetera.

"Nah, the coward wasn't even in the building." I reply to the last of the questions.

"And we're alright." Jax adds. Decker looks especially relieved. He and the sniper are close, so it isn't surprising.

Then Tail offers a scorched chest plate and helmet, the latter with one hole and the former with several. He smiles sheepishly.

"We, ah, dealt with the droid inside." He tries to console while the poor trooper looks over the damage wreaked on his armour.

"Um...thanks..." Jax mutters, thumbing a gap where two laser bolts hit and connected.

"Stop moping. You'll get a new set soon enough." The new member says condescendingly. Spitfire glares at him.

"Sarge, this is our new member." Tail's voice is slightly strained. Not a good sign.

"Name and number?" I ask steadily.

"Chopper." He drawls, not bothering with his number. I get the feeling he's going to be one of _those_ troopers. I note some facial scarring on the right side of his face. Not to mention that while his left eye is the standard brown of all clones, minus Spitfire and I, his right is pale yellow. I take this all in during one quick sweep of my eyes. "You're still angry, kiddo?" I looks at Spitfire. Her teeth clench.

"My kriffing name is Spitfire." She spits out. It's like watching me with Dytin, except in third person.

"Sure, sure." My mind goes about ways to reprimand him without making a big deal of things.

"Just remember that you earn respect as you give it." I state calmly.

"You fought well enough on Christophsis, but that doesn't mean I think you should be a sergeant." He challenges. You could hear a pin drop, the room has become so quiet right now. Then I smile.

"Well, you'll have to face the fact that what you think and reality won't always line up." I say. I hear a sudden flurry of Twi'leki and my smile widens. Numa flings herself right into our group, stopping short when she sees the new member.

"Nerra?" She asks nervously, shying away from Chopper's stern gaze.

"Nerra." I reply. She's hesitant, but approaches our newest addition nonetheless. She shyly waves at him, not risking a hug. He glowers, not amused in the least. "Chopper, this is Numa. She hangs around the squad a lot." I explain. The girl turns on her heel and hurries back to me, hiding behind my legs and clutching my waist. I twist around and stroke a lekku.

"Yeah, she especially likes Twitch." Wing jokes. Sensing that I'm being teased, Numa transfers to holding his hand. I have no idea what it is with her and grasping people, but it's cute. Chopper sighs irritably.

"I didn't sign up for the kiddie squad." I restrain a glare. The face I'd worn around my squad when I first took command of them slides across my features now.

"Lucky for you, this is Pyro Squad. I suggest you make the best of it." My voice is steely. Numa looks at me sharply, surprised at my sudden change of tone. I hold Chopper's gaze until he grumbles and goes to his bunk. He's going to be a real piece of work.

"Sorry, Sarge. He's been a bit difficult." Tail apologizes.

"Not much you could've done. Besides the obvious, did everything go smoothly?" He nods. That's a relief. I notice Numa leaning over Chopper's arms to see what he's doing. He ignores her, continuing in motions that suggest him cleaning his equipment. This is going to be interesting.

§ § §

Interesting has many meanings. One being a pain in the shebs. Chopper does not follow my orders, is rude, and by now, my entire squad is ready to strangle him. Even Tail is showing signs of aggravation. If you can draw angry responses from him, you know you're a jerk.

I have a few questions for Chopper's former sergeants, such as; _what the heck did you do to make him listen? He acts like a child!_. I'm currently in the Mess Hall, eating lunch With Rex for the first time in weeks.

"I know that look. Who's the unlucky man?" He says.

"Chopper. The only funny thing about it is that when he and Spitfire fight, it's like watching you and me when you were posing as Dytin." He shakes his head in amusement.

"So, has she told him to shut up, then?"

"Couldn't count the times on both hands. Know what happens when someone with a sharp tongue meets someone with a sharper tongue?"

"Exactly why I assigned Chopper to your squad. Figured you'd whip him into shape." I chew some slop thoughtfully.

"Depends...do you have a whip I could borrow?" Someone forcing their head in between my arms catches my attention. Numa smiles at me.

"Nerra?" She softly chirps, smiling at Rex. He definitely doesn't intimidate her as much as Chopper did.

"Nerra." I agree, knowing what comes next. Numa, true to tradition set by her previous actions, slips over to the Captain and examines him while holding his arm with both of her tiny hands.

She paws the yellow stubble of his hair curiously. Except for the short hairstyle Tail personalized for himself, Rex is the first clone she's been in close contact with with short hair. And he's certainly the first to have yellow hair.

"Uh..." He mumbles.

"Thought you'd be used to kids after Saleucami." I tease quietly.

"In case you missed something, I wasn't too great then, either." He mutters.

"I thought you did a great job. You didn't gag either one of Suu's kids." I'm careful to avoid mentioning Cut in this conversation.

"Rahg!" I hear a roar and twist to see the same Trandoshan as last time fighting with a human man.

"One moment while I go knock his head into the wall." I say, standing and marching over to the reptile. He's too busy holding the man's head in place while aiming a blow to notice me until I grab him by the trapeze muscle near his neck, planting my left leg and bending its knee, and yanking him backwards to trip, flooring the Trandoshan swiftly. "I will kick your tail off this ship if I catch you in one more fight. Do you understand me?" I demand in the tone drill sergeants use.

"Like you have the clearance to do that. Only soldiers have the authorization." He spits back.

"Think about how many fourteen year old girls a third of your size can knock you off your feet in three seconds and tell me I'm a civilian. Don't get in another fight." I hiss. He staggers to his feet and shoves his muzzle an inch from my face, baring his teeth. I resist the urge to tell him to get a breath mint while he's at it and stare him down.

After a full minute of us standing deadlocked, I yawn. "I'm sorry, are you trying to intimidate me? Because it's pretty hard to intimidate me." He loosely wraps his fingers around my neck, not enough to hurt, just to brush the my skin.

I smile and a click sounds. He looks down to see my gun pressed against his stomach. He releases and I holster the weapon, glaring at him until he leaves.

"That wasn't the wall." Rex points out once I'm seated again.

"I know, but the wall doesn't have gravity working for me."

"You take your guns to the Mess?" He adds.

"Did I not just prove a good point on why?" I counter, giving my piece of bread to Numa casually. She cautiously takes it from me, shying away from my hand as though it holds a gun instead of food.

"I think she's demonstrating on why not." He murmurs.

"She's a six to seven year old civvy. Of course she's scared." I argue.

"I don't know wether to call this paranoia or a result of experience." He mutters.

"Probably both. Is Pyro Squad going out anytime soon? The others get cranky if I don't give enough forewarning." He thinks about it.

"No, not for a while. The 104th Battalion has this week's shift, then the 212th after them, followed by the 659th." I don't know wether that is a blessing or a curse. Sure, my squad will get some rest, but that also means we'll be cooped up for Force knows how long.

§ § §

I take my time going back to the barracks. My mind is wandering, hovering over random topics and ideas.

I never got to test out that thermal detonator/droid popper 1029 helped me with. I have zero idea where that thing ended up. Some unsuspecting trooper probably tossed it and got a pleasant surprise. I'd designed the weapon so the popper part happened first, then the detonator half took effect. Disabled droids can't run from a grenade, after all. Not that they usually run, anyway.

I come into the barracks to see a space has been cleared for sparring once again, and Spitfire is handing Chopper's shebs to him. I stand next to Tail and watch.

"This just sort of...happened." He says.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before they try killing each other. At least this'll postpone the inevitable." I sigh when a somewhat fancy move on Spitfire's part lands a kick to the grouch's head.

"Come on, _Choppy_! If I was a commando droid, you'd have a concussion." The young girl jeers. Chopper tries landing a punch, but his small adversary dodges easily and twists his arm behind his back.

"Didn't you use that move on me during the Braxis Campaign?" Bark murmurs.

"Yep. She's working on the same fighting style as me, too."

"Hope she isn't dead set on using explosives like _someone_." Wing teases.

"Not that I've seen yet. So, we won't have any missions for a while, since other battalions and legions are taking the next several weeks' shifts." I say. Chopper nosedives into the railing of a bunk.

"I don't think he can handle several more weeks of this." Tail comments.

"Who knows. Maybe Spitfire'll do my job for me and beat him into submission." Said girl flooring the older clone proves my point.

"And to think, she's still an amateur in that type of fighting." Wing muses.

"I'm half your size! If you're really the 'ideal soldier' you claim to be, then this army is in trouble!" Spitfire yanks him to his feet.

I'm pretty sure not one of my men, who have all gone a round or two with her, are offended. If this is the only way to embarrass Chopper, then let it cause them minimal ego damage as well.

They take up positions and go again. After several more matches, and me noticing plenty of flaws in Chopper's technique, I grow impatient. Just as he drags himself to his feet (for the hundredth time), I walk over.

"I can't take it anymore. Get into your position again." He does so. I examine it carefully. "No wonder she's knocking you off your feet." I give his shoulder a hard poke and he staggers. "You're off balance. Spread your feet out more and face them forward." I use one of my feet to nudge his own into position.

I move his arms to cover his torso better and make it easier to block and send out blows. He must've seen very little hand-to-hand combat in his career to still be alive. I step out of range and nod a go ahead. The fight lasts a little longer, but Chopper still loses in the end.

"Twitch, he may be a lost cause. I was going easy on him that time!" Spitfire says.

"If you weren't holding back, he'd be dead. Chopper, keep one arm in to block at all times. You left yourself exposed to nearly anything Spitfire wanted to throw at you." I coach. The fight still ends with the bicolour-eyed soldier on the floor.

"Haar'chak." He snarls. I really don't have the right to sensor his language, so I find something else to bother him with.

"Stop relying completely on your strength." I lecture.

"Strength wins battles." He spits back.

"Then how does Fire keep beating you? She sure as heck isn't going to beat most of the people she fights in arm wrestling." She glares. "Oh, you know it's true. The point is, try moving a little faster. Concentrate on actually hitting her rather than knocking her out with one blow."

"That's a comforting thought..." My sister jokes while taking up her stance.

"Well, you'd get no better from a commando droid." I reply. I can tell Chopper is actually following my advice for once, and he's putting up a much better fight than twenty minutes ago, but he's still going against Spitfire, so he's doomed to failure, regardless of how well his form is.

"Oh, so you _are_ one step ahead of me." I start and glance at Fives.

"You were going to ask if Fire could spar with Chopper? They've been at it for a while." I pause to watch and mentally face palm. "_Balance_, Chopper! _Numa_ could knock you over." I order. He grits his teeth.

"Interesting way to motivate him." Fives mutters.

"I'm hoping Fire will knock some respect into him. If we're especially lucky, maybe enough sense for him to stay down..." And down he goes. And up again. "I'm not an expert on his fighting style. Maybe a little help, please?" I murmur to the ARC as yet another fight starts.

If Chopper is going to learn, it might as well be from one of the best fighters I know. Spitfire ends this fight quickly by smacking her opponent into a wall. I cringe at the thump his head makes on contact.

"Lost. Cause." Spitfire labels.

"Not once I'm done with him." Fives says.

§ § §

Turns out that, despite Fives making him dangerous to nearly any adversary, Chopper is still not Spitfire's best. Honestly, who can blame him? The females in this family are not to be trifled with.

I've been checking in with Clara as often as I can, talking with mom (I'm calling her that because it would be awkward to say her actual name) when she's on hand. Apparently, dad had been arrested after several more attempts on getting Clara to move in with him, being forceful about it, too.

On ship, sparring is a common pastime among the squad. We don't have many other ways to get exercise and entertainment. I've been helping Spitfire improve on her fighting style, since we're both on the same page regarding technique.

She's talented and a fast learner, though, she hasn't beaten me in a fight just yet. I'm currently working on Tail's hand-to-hand skills, mainly relaying what I'd learned from Fives on to the scout.

"It's a pity you didn't get that ARC training." He grunts while standing up after I'd tripped him.

"Thanks, but I wouldn't go back to Kamino if they promised I'd be a general." I admit. I'm pretty loose about rank around the others, but Tail is the only one in the squad I ever completely open up to.

"Still holding a grudge? Remind me to never bother you." He says while swinging his leg around in an attempt to brain me.

"There's a difference between holding a grudge and not walking into an obvious trap... Though, I _am_ still a bit angry." We hold straight faces for the whole of five seconds before snorting with pent up amusement.

A chirped 'hello' in Twi'leki distracts me. Tail trips up my legs during a spin and I land on my stomach with an _oomph_. "Hi...Numa." I grunt while standing up slowly. She walks over and pokes one of my lower ribs.

"Tail?" She asks with an accent, looking to the scout. Oh, now that's just cute...and traitorous. You'd think after repeated visits and us spending the most time together, she'd know my name, too. But, I'm not really upset.

Tail picks the girl up, doing it fast enough to make her squeal in excitement. She strokes the short hair on his head.

_Why does she like that hairstyle so much?_

And then it hits me.

I'm fairly sure Boil has the standard buzz cut of many clones, while Waxer was bald, so Tail's stubble is a medium that must remind her of both men.

I push the thoughts from my mind as I watch the scout holding Numa, letting her sit on his shoulder while supporting her to be sure she won't fall.

I hear a annoyed groan and swivel my head around to see Chopper. "Nerra." The little Twi'lek greets. He glares at her reproachfully.

"Kick puppies and spit on kittens if you want, but don't scare her." I sigh. He relaxes his scowl, but won't crack a smile. I get the feeling abusing small animals actually _is_ the only way to appease him. Too bad for the grouch we don't have any animals on board except for the ones we eat.

"Get them!"

"Our parents are going to kill us!"

"Move it! We're going to lose them, and then we're dead." I watch the door as a young girl and boy race past.

"Gotcha...no!"

"I'll go see what they're chasing." I mutter while jogging out the door and dashing to the kids' sides before slowing my pace to match theirs. "What's going on?"

"Our pets got loose! If we lose them, mom'll flay me." The boy answers.

"_You_? She'll blame _both_ of us." The girl argues.

"What kind of animals are these pets?" I ask, interrupting the siblings.

"Tarantulas. They're a big, fuzzy kind of spider, but they won't bite. They're just fast runners." The boy answers. I almost stop in my tracks, but force myself to keep running.

As long as they aren't small and red, I don't mind being bitten. I have to convince myself of that. Then I see one of the spiders. Big, BIG spiders...

"You hold those things with your bare hands?" I gasp.

"They never bite. Sometimes, they sit on our heads while we read." The girl answers. These kids are braver than ninety percent of the universe. I run ahead of the kids, outdistancing them before swooping down and scooping up the spider. I almost drop it as my nerves mistake the stiff bristles as mandibles, but hold on.

"How many are there?" I ask.

"Three." The boy answers. I slow down and hand him the spider, scratching my palms to relieve the itching. The girl swerves off and snatches yet another of the arachnids off a wall before rejoining us. I hear a scream and dash up ahead to see a woman running around, batting at her head.

"Stop!" The girl pleads.

"Ma'am, hold still and I _will_ get that spider off you." I bark in a tone suggesting she's a panicking rookie. She ignores me and I march up and grab her arms. She thrashes and I resort to smacking her. "For the love of D'haynna's Bow, HOLD STILL!" I snap, grabbing the spider while I have her attention.

The creepy crawly climbs up my arm and neck before taking cover in my hair. I almost scream and bat at my head, too, but grit my teeth and walk back to the kids.

"He likes you! We better get back to our parents." The boy says cheerfully.

"Thank you!" The girl says. On our way past the barracks, I almost collide with Rex. He hops back and gawks.

"No, really, I can explain. Just don't start screaming." I say.

"You're arachnophobic. How..." He stares.

"Believe me, it's taking a lot of self control to not freak out." I say, forcing a smile despite the tingles running down my spine as the spider shifts.

"On your head, though?"

"I know, I know. This is a one time thing. Trust me, you'll _never_ see me with a tarantula in my hair again." I promise, a shudder escaping my control.

"Are you sure?" I glance through the door and see Tail holding a holoprojector that has a recording light flashing. My shock is replaced with a scowl.

"We'll discuss proper usage of a holoprojector as soon as I get back." I warn before following the kids.

§ § §

Of course, once I get back to the barracks after a lengthy assurance to the children's parents that I was fine, it was no bother, yada ya, the entire squad is laughing over the video of their sergeant with a spider on her head.

"Tail!" I exclaim with hurt. "How could you?" I give him a look of complete betrayal. Numa is nowhere to be found.

"You're an arachnophobe?" Wing hoots.

"Depends on wether the spider is a huge tarantula or not." I growl.

"How did you get that on tape?" Bark asks Tail.

"When I saw her walk by with a spider on her head, I knew I would probably want to grab the 'projector." I glare, though a smile is trying to break my expression. Spitfire yelps and swats the back of her neck. A dark red spider lands on the floor.

"Ah, kriff!" She wails while lying down on a bunk. I stomp the spider quickly before it can bite anyone else.

"D'haynna, that better not be the type I think it is." I groan. A panicked gasp from my sister answers my question and I look around in case of more.

"She's scared of spiders, too?" Tail asks, not to tease, but to simply know.

"We both have good enough reason. If you see any red spiders, kill them immediately, or—" A scream from Spitfire cuts me off. "Or they might bite someone." I finish, face palming in frustration and worry.

"What's wrong with her?" Decker asks while moving in to examine Fire.

"The type of spider that bit her has venom that causes hallucinations. Usually ones that are nasty to watch. They're one of Dooku's favourite torture toys." I wince at another agonized screech. Even Chopper doesn't have a snarky remark.

"How long will she be like this?" Decker says.

"Four hours, if the size of the spider is anything to go on." The medic looks desperately at his sister. It must be hard to see anyone like this and not be able to help.

"Antidotes?" He almost begs. I cringe, but shake my head.

"I looked up every file I could find on them. No known substances to counteract the poison. She's going to have to ride it out."

"Should we get her to the med bay?" Wing suggests.

"They've got nothing to help her. When she comes out of it, a sudden change in environment won't help. And she's going to be making noises—" a scream tears through the room "like that, so the sick people won't appreciate it." So, I take Decker's place by Spitfire's side, Chopper puts on his helmet before lying down to sleep, the others basically either clear out or resign themselves to waiting as they scrub their equipment. Tail loyally sits on the other side of the bed and we hold Fire's arms down as she thrashes.

I hear rushed footsteps and look to see Skywalker hurrying in. Either he sensed Spitfire's fear, or heard her screaming all the way from his quarters. He looks her over.

"What happened?" He asks. The others are standing at attention, though Chopper is dead to the world.

"Spider bite, sir. The type that makes people hallucinate. We've got another three hours and forty minutes or so left." I reply.

"N—numa? Numa?" I see Numa walk in.

"Uh, Numa, go back to your parents." I say in a futile attempt to make her leave. "Tail, could you check the database for how to say 'go home' in Twi'leki?" I ask. He grabs his helmet, stuffs it on, and waits a few seconds before saying it aloud. I look back to Numa and relay the command.

She hesitates, then ignores me and scurries next to Spitfire. Seeing that diplomacy has failed, I sigh and look to my scout. "Tail, could you please take her back to her parents?" He removes his helmet and nods before picking up the girl.

She wails protestingly and struggles, but the man is a lot bigger and stronger than she is. Skywalker glances down at the whimpering form of my sister. My heart wrenches. I know what she's feeling, though what she sees isn't what I would in her place. But...maybe there are similarities?

§ § §

"Twitch? Please don't let this be another hallucination." Spitfire groans.

"Heck, no. Can't you tell? I'm _way_ better looking in reality than nightmares!" She snorts and I help her sit up.

"Whatever you need to say to be happy." She teases.

"Hey, welcome back." Decker greets, abandoning his cloth and already-scrubbed gun to check on her. I let him fuss, though I can tell my sister's thinning patience doesn't appreciate all the attention.

"Did the kid stop screaming?" Chopper yawns.

"Silent and ready to go a few rounds with you." Spitfire growls. She tries standing, but I drag her back onto the bed.

"Oh, no, you don't. You of all people know better than to get up after that."

"I'm used to it. I'm fine." I stop her from standing again.

"I'm used to it and it took me a while to recover last time. Stay down." That phrasing, of course, makes her more persistent. I suddenly feel guilty for all the times I refused to cooperate with Kix and Decker. "Decker, my most sincere apologies for being stubborn when you tried treating me for anything." He smirks.

"Not so fun in the medic's shoes, huh?"

"I'd rather go barefoot. Spitfire, stay down!" I mutter a string of irritated questions (such as, _why won't you listen?_) and swears in a jumble of languages under my breath. "If you fall over from exhaustion, Chopper will have another reason to tease you." He scowls at my use of his behaviour to tame the girl, but it works.

"Fine. But only for a few minutes." She concedes.

"Twenty."

"Ten." She barters.

"Twenty." I persist.

"Fifteen!"

"D'haynna, you're stubborn!"

"Runs in the female side of the family!"

"Twenty minutes."

"Ten!" I press out foreheads together and glare.

"Twen-ty" I sound out firmly.

"_Mggff_." She covers her mouth, trying to hide a smile. My lip twitches and we start snickering.

"For goodness sake, just take the twenty minutes before I push it to half an hour." I laugh.

"Fine! But only because I think it'll be quicker than fighting with you. And we already cut out five minutes of it by arguing."

"Kix is going to have fun with you." I say.

"I'm sorry, how do you go from yelling at each other to laughing?" Wing shakes his head.

"I'll let you know as soon as _I_ figure it out." Spitfire chuckles. Couldn't have said it better myself.

* * *

_A.N. ~ sorry, a bit too much spider in one chapter. The Chopper in this fic has nothing to do with the Chopper in 'Safety of the Pack'. The next chapter will be up within 48 hours. Please review, positive or critical. Believe it or not, I actually read and get excited over comments._


	11. Survival Of The Craziest

"I'll call you whatever I want, kid!"

"How hard is it to say Spitfire? Is there some mental impairment that prevents you from saying that collection of syllables?"

"_You're_ the one with a mental impairment!"

"Says the one with different coloured eyes due to brain damage!"

"You pulled my file? How'd you even get past the system?"

"Like I'd tell _you_ anything."

"You better tell me how you got into my file."

"Or what? You'll beat me up? Like you did _every_ time in sparring?" The word 'every' is heavily drawn out and sarcastic.

"Maybe I'll get into _your_ file."

"I'm sure you'll have a great time reading something that doesn't exist. Do your research! I was off the charts until a couple months ago."

"And why was that?"

"Last thing you need is my history. What I want to know is how your old sergeant had enough willpower to not strangle you in the night."

"Last thing you need is my history." A migraine is starting on the right side of my head.

"Enough! You, in that corner, you, in _that_ corner!" I snap. Spitfire and Chopper glower at me and I return the glares. No one's had a moment's peace for nearly twenty minutes.

They both sigh before stalking to their designated areas. When they start exchanging looks and rude gestures I groan. "Am I dealing with cadets or mature soldiers? Face the wall." Chopper opens his mouth, but my look shuts him up and they both comply. I climb to sit down on the top of my bunk with a long exhale.

I hear a knock and glance at the door. Numa looks curiously at Spitfire and Chopper. I shake my head and she ignores them, sitting down next to Tail to observe his gun as he scrubs it.

Our problem is, all our equipment has been cleaned to breaking point already, so no pastimes besides sparring and sleeping, and going to the gym are left. Call me crazy, but I'm starting to miss running from Infecteds.

I feel something crawling on the back of my neck and jump so hard my head bangs against the ceiling.

"Ow..." I mumble. The crawling stopped, and now I look on my pillow to see one of the kids' tarantulas. I scoop it up and glare. Better return it. I'm tempted to scare Spitfire with it, but since I'm still scared of spiders, too, it wouldn't be too fair.

I hop down, still holding the arachnid. Numa takes interest and comes to see what I'm holding. When she sees the spider, she squeals and retreats behind Tail, then slowly approaches again. She gets into a staring contest with the pet...until it ever so slightly shifts, sending her running all over again.

She slowly comes back and nervously extends her hand. I place the spider in her palm and she shivers, peering at it with curious delight. Then the spider tries climbing up her arm and she waves the limb, tossing the poor thing into an unsuspecting Wing's lap. He yelps and swats it away, sending it to Jax's feet. The sniper starts, then picks it up with two fingers around the abdomen.

"I'll take it back to the owners." I sigh.

"You sure you don't want me to? You aren't wearing gloves." I smile at his offer.

"Thanks, but it won't bite. I'll get it back." He hands it to me and I hold it, not letting the spider go into my hair. I told Rex it wouldn't happen again, and I _meant_ it wouldn't happen again. Numa follows me, looking at the tarantula as we go. Down the lift, down a hall, knock on a door, and there's the little boy.

"I was wondering where he went. Sorry." The kid says. Numa hides behind me, taking a peak to catch a last glimpse of the spider. The boy sees her and smiles. "Hey, do you like spiders, too?"

"Nerra?" I'm asked. I shake my head.

"She doesn't speak Basic. She's curious, just a little finicky." I answer for her. The boy steps out and gentle takes Numa's hands before placing his pet into them. He holds her still as the spider moves about. The young Twi'lek makes unsure noises, but doesn't panic, which is a pretty big feat. The spider nestles down in between her lekkus.

"Awesome! Ash is always this nice, you know." It takes me a moment to realize that he's referring to the tarantula.

"So friendly he crawled up my neck without permission." I try to keep the wryness out of my voice, though some slips out.

"Sorry. He's also great at escaping."

"John, who are you talking to?" A woman calls.

"The girl who helped us with Ash, Thorn and Posy." The boy replies.

"You better not be bothering her."

"He isn't, ma'am." I say. "I need to get back to my squad. Chances are two of them are fighting again." My voice is quieter now.

"You guys fight? Like, punching and stuff?" The boy throws a few horribly ineffective blows to demonstrate.

"No, more like yelling at each other." John looks a bit crestfallen as he takes the spider away from Numa, who chatters in protest.

"Bye." He says.

"Bye." As Numa and I walk back to the lift, she yawns, so I pick her up and let her drift off. I get her back to her parents before returning to the barracks.

I see Spitfire and Chopper glaring at each other from their respective corners. Once I turn their heads straight and tell them they have twenty more minutes, I climb up to my bunk to get some sleep.

**(**Sorry! That's the end of the spiders for now. I promise.)

§ § §

Well, that deteriorated quickly. It's the second day of the 501st's week to go down to Coruscant. My squad had been happy to see some more action, and frankly, so was I.

We'd had, like last time, stowaways on the larty's roof and I'd gone up to get rid of them. Wing was holding the cable wrapped around me. A morbidly obese woman had tackled me while I was holding off a Twi'lek, barreling us both over the edge. I had my gauntlet in her mouth so she wouldn't bite me, but she held on.

I'm not sure exactly what happened back in the larty cabin, but it basically has ended like this: I'm falling and wrestling with a huge infected woman, Wing and Terry, Arrow Squad's sergeant, are nosediving after me, and we have a few seconds left before falling onto a tall building.

I manage to shove the woman away and she bounces over the edge. That's a second before I land on the right half of my ribcage. All the air leaves my body, I know I hit my knee pretty hard, since that area is numb and pain is sure to follow, and for the moment, I'm thankful there are no Infecteds up here. I hear the other two landing. We stay still in a daze for the better part of a minute before slowly getting up.

"Haar'chak. Wing, are you alright?" I limp to my squad member as he holds his shoulder. I was right about my knee hurting.

"My arm's dislocated. Is your leg hurt?"

"A bit banged up. Terry?"

"Fine. Just sore." Our comms beep and we turn them on.

"An engine took some damage. We need repairs ASAP." A pilot reports.

"Is it too late to pick us up?" Terry asks.

"I'm afraid so, sir. We'll call in another larty to pick you up."

"Bud, you're in charge 'til I get back." Terry orders.

"Tail, keep their heads on straight." I say once the other sergeant is done. The gunship's doors seal shut and it starts going up, back to the fleet. Terry examines Wing's arm.

"Hold still. This'll be quick." He says. He grabs the younger clone's wrist and pulls away. A pop and crack sound. I fight back a wince. Wing stiffens, then rolls his shoulder to loosen it up.

"Thank you, sir." I check my guns' charges and my pack. Four grenades left. Better hope no Infecteds come our way. I think I bruised my ribs on landing, which I guess is a lot better than what could've happened.

I breathe lightly and look around for our pick up.

_Clack, clack, clack. _

I glance over my shoulder and yelp. An Infected is coming our way, jaw opening and closing, which accounts for the clicking, and sniffing the air as well. I start raising my gun. The others follow suit. The second Terry shoots, we begin as well. Wing aims for the legs, me at the chest, and the other sergeant at the head.

With a flash of horror, I realize this is a clone Infected. He falls dead, though it's fairly advisable to take several more head shots to be sure. I don't think I have the stomach for that. By the hesitance in the others' movements, they don't want to do it, either.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Wing mutters.

"You're not the only one." Terry says.

"Could've lived without doing that." I agree. A gurgle from the Infected brings my arm up and fires off two more shots into the head instinctively. I see the larty coming our way, swooping between two tall buildings.

I start when Infecteds begin leaping out the windows and grabbing the left wing, some missing and falling. The swarm begins climbing over the ship. I mutter curses when the larty goes down and explodes.

"And now they know how to ambush us." Terry growls.

"Guys, we need to move. _Now_." I peer over the edge of the building and watch as Infecteds climb over each other to reach the top, making speedy headway, too.

We run to the door leading inside and start running down stairs, jumping several steps whenever we near platforms. On the ground floor I start dashing from door to door.

"What are you looking for?" Terry snaps.

"Streets are too exposed. We need to head underground." I say.

"Here!" Wing calls, having started looking around as soon as I explained. We open the door and look down into the blackness. Terry goes first, then me, followed lastly by my squad member.

We bolt the door and start going down. I crack my head against something with a yelp. A hand gently guides me around whatever I hit.

"You seem to have a plan. Know your way around here?" Terry asks.

"No, but I'm pretty sure there's a map in the database." There's a long pause.

"Got it. Wow, some of these tunnels go to the Manarai Mountains." Wing murmurs.

"Aren't those near the Western Sea?" I ask.

"What are you getting at?" Says Terry.

I grin. "How well do you reckon those Infecteds can swim?"

§ § §

"You either belong in ARC training or an asylum." Terry jokes as we walk. He's turned out to be quite talkative and good humoured.

"Hmm...Kamino or a madhouse? Check in one insane teenager, please." I jest.

"No insult intended?" The other sergeant teases.

"Oh, long story involving Ko Sai and a few exchanged blows. We aren't on friendly terms." I hit a wall and curse.

"Sorry." Wing mutters.

"You doing alright?" I ask. He's been uncharacteristically quiet.

"Fine, fine. Just...can you hear that?" I tip my head to the side and hold my breath. After several dragged out seconds, I hear something like boots on glass. A _raahhgg_ sounds.

"Now's a great time to start running, don't you think?" I whisper.

"Excellent. Run." Terry agrees. We take off, Wing guiding me so I don't hit anything.

"How far 'til we reach the Mountains?" I hiss.

"We still have at least thirty klicks to go." Wing replies. I start debating in my head wether collapsing the tunnel behind us with one of our precious few thermal detonators will help or possibly draw more Infecteds. The risk factor finally wins out in my mind and I toss away the idea. My right leg slightly buckles and I stumble.

"Sarge?" Wing drags me up as we run.

"I'm fine. Keep moving." I grunt.

"If you're hurt—" Terry starts.

"Old injury. It's fine, just hurry." I interrupt.

§ § §

We scramble up the ladder, Terry thrusting the manhole's plate off. It's nighttime, so visibility is a mixed blessing. We climb out, the breeze welcome after the stale air of the tunnels.

Two large mountains tower over us. Through the gap between them, I can see the sparkling water of the Western Sea. Ocean plus islands equals safety from Infecteds. We place the lid back over the hole.

"How bad is your leg?" Terry demands. I realize I'm not putting weight on the limb.

"I can keep going." I assure him.

"How bad?" He persists.

"It hurts, I can ignore it. We need to keep moving." We're out in the open of a parking lot and I really don't like it.

"Sir, she can be very stubborn about these things. It'll take half the night to make her admit anything she doesn't want to." Wing says. Well, he's right.

"Fine. Let's get going." He takes up a slow, deliberate lope and we follow suit, making steady headway towards safety. I don't need guidance now, since the moons provide plenty of light.

We're in a sparsely treed forest. I have to limp, I'll admit, and my bruised knee isn't helping, but we do keep moving. Just gotta not think about sleeping...

§ § §

We found a boat, figured out how to use it, and motored out of there before any Infecteds got bright ideas. First order of business: find an island that we can check for Infecteds over easily.

Then comes sleep. We finally see a small, one-hundred-yard-round, scrubby island. We split up, search the entire thing top to bottom, and bunk down, setting up shifts. I've got the second, Wing got last. He protested, but no one was in the mood to argue.

"Resolute, come in...blast! Comms are down. _They_ have to call _us_." With that lovely note from Terry, I lay down against a tree and breathe out all my pent-up tension.

§ § §

Note of importance: do not shake me awake when I'm thrashing around in my sleep due to bad dreams. Or, you might end up like Terry.

I'm disoriented from lightheadedness and waking up in general, but I'm not deaf to the swearing and a low groan. My eyes adjust and I see him clutching his hand and cussing blue murder.

Then I notice my unsheathed arm-blades, the left with a smudge of blood marking it. I take a closer look at everything.

_His hand. I cut his hand. But, that wouldn't elicit this much of a reaction, so I must've really done something._

"Terry? Talk to me, what'd I do?" I hiss.

"My kriffin' finger!" He growls. I can feel myself blanch as I search the ground and find a severed finger, still in the cover of its glove.

"D'haynna, I am so sorry!" I gasp. A waking groan from Wing doesn't make me feel better.

"Sarge? What's up?" Terry blows out a held in breath from the corners of his mouth before replying.

"I learned my lesson of waking Twitch up on a bad night." I don't understand how he can make a joke when I cut off his finger. He catches my dumbfounded expression. "Don't beat yourself up. You can't control instinct all the time."

_Yeah, but...I cut off his finger. How is he not upset?_ _And now our comms are beeping. _

Regulations dictate that the highest ranking should be the one to answer, and Terry is in no condition, so I bring my left gauntlet up and activate the comm. A bit of static crackles, but the words come clear as day.

"This is General Skywalker. Does anyone read me?"

"This is Sergeant Twitch. I read you, General."

"Twitch, are you and the others alright?"

"Yes, sir. Sergeant Terry is, ah..."

"Minorly injured, sir. Nothing too serious." He says loudly.

"We're sending a pick up to your location. Standby." The comm goes dead and I sag with relief. Thank the forces that be this is over.

§ § §

After I escape the med bay where my once over to be sure I'm not dying was, I go to the Mess Hall. I've just sat down to—hallelujah—a meal involving nerf steak, when a tall, gangly man with an air that I can almost feel, radiating arrogance and self-importance, comes in and surveys the room. He coughs (like a 'gentleman'), before addressing the whole room.

"Is a 'Sergeant Twitch' present?" Even his voice sounds stuffed up.

_I know I'm going to regret this, but..._

"Right here, sir." I say while standing. He walks over with a straight back and sits down across from me. I follow suit, inwardly sighing at the fact that it would be impolite to eat now.

"My name is Zibrius Carnem... You seem a little _young_ to be in command." He says the word 'young' with slight distaste.

_I was right; I regret letting him know I'm me._

"Well, ask any of my squad and they'll explain why I'm a sergeant." My attempt at cheerfulness is greeted with a dry lack of amusement.

"Yes, your _clone_ squadron, correct?" I don't like how he said 'clone'.

"Yes. Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" Before I break his neck, preferably.

"Skywalker assigned Pyro Squad to protect me as I go out on the field to study the Infecteds." Why did I only hear about this now?

"I see. Well, you have my assurance that me and the boys'll keep you safe." I reply, wishing for him to go away.

"Hmm. So, do you find it interesting?" A light is in his eyes now.

"Find what interesting?" I'm a thousand percent lost on his meaning.

"Working with a bunch of clone units. Tell me, what are their behavioural patterns like?" That hit a nerve. My hands slightly twitch in attempts to clench, warring with my self control. Sergeants don't have the luxury of flooring civilians.

"I dunno. What're my behavioural patterns?" Tail sits down without invitation. I killed that formality almost on-sight.

"Aren't you troopers supposed to _salute_ to your superiors?" Carnem points out. The scout looks surprised, but begins to stand. I raise a hand in a gesture for him to sit.

"Mr. Carnem, all due respect, but my men take orders from _me_. You can most certainly ask for their help, but you are, in fact, not their commanding officer." My voice has a steel edge embedded beneath its politeness. His eyes bulge in indignation.

"Very well." He says drily.

"Now, Tail, scientist Zibrius Carnem. Carnem, this is Tail, my scout. If you have a problem and I'm not hand, come to him. He's completely trustworthy."

"A corporal, I presume?" Zibrius asks.

"No, sir." Tail slightly smiles at the guess. Sure as heck due time, though.

"I see. Well, I must be going. Farewell, Sergeant." He stands and leaves, completely ignoring Tail. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose.

"He fits the description 'stick up your butt'." Tail says wryly in Mando'a.

"Couldn't agree more, but we're stuck with him. The real challenge will be to keep Bark or Chopper from strangling him." I reply, also in the Mandalorian language.

"Just wait 'til he crosses paths with Spitfire." We dig into our food without another word. This is going to be interesting on a whole new level.

* * *

_A.N. ~ my dad said clones aren't human because we aren't sure wether they came from an egg or not. I felt compelled to write against that. He's also very atin, and looked down on me thinking Rex was awesome because "he's a _clone_", but that's why I pulled Twitch into this. No one is more stubborn than Twitch._

Twitch:_ um...thanks._

Me: _it was a compliment. Now, readers, please review, positively or negatively. The next chapter will be up ASAP._


	12. Defence And Loss

See, I diffuse real bombs. You know, the ones that explode and cause physical damage. _This, _thisis a completely different bomb that will probably lead to _Zibrius'_ physical damage if I don't smooth things over.

Spitfire is on the verge of saying something someone will regret. The scientist had stopped by to 'examine his protectors' before the next mission. He's been rude and indifferent to the other clones. Somehow curious, though, at the same time. To make things worse, Numa appears.

_Fierfek! This is not a good time! _I mentally panic.

She nears the scientist cautiously.

"This is a soldier barrack. You shouldn't be here." Carnem thunders. She squeaks and takes cover behind me. That breaks Spitfire's last strand of self restraint.

"What's wrong with you? She's just a little kid!" My sister snarls. Everyone, even Chopper, is looking at Zibrius badly.

"Spitfire, stand down. Carnem, ask questions first, avoid yelling altogether." I prompt Numa by name and tell her to go home in Twi'leki. She runs off without a glance back.

"Interesting! Tell me, are you younger than the other clones or simply shorter naturally?" I turn to see Zibrius examining Shorty like a piece of meat, completely oblivious to the hostility generating from everyone.

"A genetic anomaly cut down two inches of my hight." He answers coldly.

"Mr. Carnem, my men and I _will_ protect you, but it would be best if we kept our interaction levels at a minimum. We're fairly gruff, and wouldn't want to upset you." I cut in.

"Indeed." He says with a nod. Once he's gone, we stay quiet until we're sure he's out of earshot. Spitfire grumbles curses in quite a few languages. I cringe at a particularity bad one.

"Please tell me that was only an excuse to get rid of him." Chopper growls.

"Exactly. Just be gentle with the old boy. He's annoying, but he's still a civvy."

"Are there any other kinds?" Wing jests.

"An extremely rare breed." Shorty says with a chuckle.

"Hate to dampen the mood, but we've gotta be down in the main hangar at oh nine hundred tomorrow." I say.

"Timing: you lack it." I recognize Fives' tone and turn with a grin. I stop short when I see the other trooper beside him, wearing the standard buzz cut, blue pauldrons on both shoulders and a blue handprint on the upper right of his chest plate. Blue marks the helmet clipped to his belt and his arms. I've never seen him before, and don't know who he is. "Getting a headache yet?" Fives mimics me.

"Depends. Do you get in as much trouble as him?" I say to the newcomer.

"Depends. What's he been doing?"

"Um, captured and tortured by pirates, Krell, broken ribs before Umbara, cave ins, gigantic island apes, nearly executed, captured by Trandoshans, stuck in a rancor pit, commando droid ambushes, Savage Opress, Blue shadow Virus, suicidal vixus attack, nearly mauled by an anooba after an earthquake pinned him under rocks, cortosis poisoning...I think that's it." A light shade of pink is marking Fives' cheeks and I snicker.

"Some of those _did_ happen to you, too..." He mumbles.

"True." I agree.

"Echo, this is Twitch." Fives says. Oh, the transferred soldier Fives was so upset about. I recall the glumness just before the Trandoshan had interrupted. I raise my right arm a few inches the side of my head, blocking a hard kick that would have brained me had I not used my forearm.

"Nice try, but you've got to be quieter than that." I coach. Spitfire growls her frustration.

"I barely made a sound!" She snaps.

"There's a line between barely and none at all." I reply. "If I could hear you, a droid would've, too." I hear her stalking back to her bunk.

"Didn't know you were training her to be an ARC." Fives teases.

"Am not. It just pays to be stealthy sometimes." I hear snickers behind me. Some people don't appreciate certain talents. I hear the characteristic clack, though much quieter that usual, of a trooper's boot behind me. "But stealthy, you're not." I add.

"Pay up, Chopper." Someone says. I hear the cling of credits and shake my head, slightly smiling. I glance behind me to see Tail pocketing a couple gold-tinted credits.

"Aren't you guys usually sparring by now?" Fives asks.

"Oh, yeah. Got distracted by a scientist we get to escort tomorrow." I remark. The others begin shifting the bunks. I'm surprised when Chopper and Spitfire pair up without complaint to move one. No angry fight over who's moving too fast, slow, et cetera. Soon, the room is ready.

"You'n me first, Shorty." Wing says to his friend. They go a few rounds, Shorty winning one more than his brother despite his 5'8 stature. Then goes Jax and Decker, Fritz and Bark, and finally Spitfire and Chopper.

Echo's attention doesn't waver while he watches the final two go back and forth. Fire flips and lands before swinging a kick, Chopper blocks and tries getting her in a chokehold. She ducks under and unbalances him as she rolls him behind her before delivering a hard kick to his exposed left ribs. He teeters and she finishes him off by swiftly knocking his feet out from under him. The thunk of durasteel against plastoid rings out. The trooper staggers to his feet.

"You're a bit slow today." Spitfire teases.

"So are you. Couldn't sleep without a bedtime story?"

"You have us mixed up." She snarks while bending back to avoid a roundhouse kick. "You _must_ be the child if that's the best you can come up with for insults."

"Wow." Echo murmurs.

"They're being pretty mild today. Hope Fire's feeling alright." I comment.

_CLANG_. Chopper's head cracks against the frame of a bunk.

"_This_ is mild?" He asks.

"Very. They're usually at each other's throats." I reply. A series of quick, light blows unbalance the scarred trooper before Fire kicks his chest. He grabs her ankle as he regains balance, but she uses the method of spinning like a sideways tornado I taught her to rip free. A few seconds later leads to a dull thud as Chopper lands on his stomach. After one last round, they separate to rest. Fives grins mischievously.

"Hey, Echo, why don't you spar with Twitch? She needs a partner, anyway."

_What a cruel trick! Echo has no forewarning! I can't wait to test my mettle against him._

"Sure." He agrees.

"Be gentle." Fives orders me.

"Of course!" I say, faking horror at the suggestion that I'd be anything but gentle. We take up positions. Out of the corner of my eye, I see meaningful looks pass between the members of my squad.

Echo starts by trying to punch me. I lean sideways and drop to the floor, rolling to avoid a kick. I come back up and half cartwheel into a spring to avoid the onslaught of blows. He must have realized that if Spitfire could handle Chopper easily, I'm probably even more dangerous. Smart man.

I push off a bunk and flip, straightening out just behind him in midair. I plan to kick behind me and hit his back,** (Ultimate Spider-Man Style), **causing him to collide with the steel frame of the bed, but my plans go awry when my legs are knocked out from under me.

I roll on impact with a pained exhale of air and pop up, barely blocking a kick.

_How'd he turn fasten enough to unbalance me? _

As we proceed to fight, he continues to trip me up and block my attacks, unfazed by the confusing and complicated movements that are partly for movement and mostly for disorientation. When I land on my stomach, I wheeze and try to catch my breath.

_Only Skywalker has ever bested me in a sparring match. What the heck?_

"I know I said go easy on him, but I didn't mean 'let him beat you to a pulp'." Fives points out.

"I know. I wasn't exactly planning on being floored, either." I get up, wincing as my bruised ribs shriek at me for landing on them again.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Echo is completely genuine in his apology.

"You didn't. This is going to sound a lot more arrogant than I want, but how did you beat me?" The others look startled at my defeat. They know I'm not soft. They know I can beat anyone in hand-to-hand. Well, almost anyone.

"You mean...you didn't let him win?" Tail asks.

"No." I reply. I tilt my head and the scout understands my silent request, attacking me. I know when he's giving it his all and when he's not. He's doing his best to hurt me. I still end the fight with him pinned against a wall quickly.

I let him go and shake my head. Echo fights a lot like Fives, though slightly different since he's probably personalized a few things. I can beat Fives. Why not Echo?

"How'd you do it?" Tail asks Echo.

"Uh, easier question, how do you not?" He counters. That makes sense. Figure out what my squad members do so he knows what he did differently.

"Hard to keep track of her, it's hard to tell where she'll hit next using which limb; in general, she's as unpredictable as she wants to be." Fives lists.

_Oh, what a charmer!_

"She isn't going to be kicking me during a flip, and there are only so many places she'll land off a handspring." Echo counters, his confusion at how his brothers could possibly have missed that evident in his expression..

"So, you basically narrow down where she'll be and how she'll hit you?" Tail asks.

"Basically. Kind of like flash training." He answers.

"Paint me impressed. Twitch, wanna go a round?" Shorty says.

"Sure." I agree. I hope _monkey-lizard see, monkey-lizard do_ doesn't apply here. As it turns out, it doesn't, since the poor trooper ends up winded on the floor. He managed to counter and fend off a few moves that had got him in previous matches, but I didn't have much trouble. He regains the ability to breathe and gets up.

"Don't know how you did it." He says. Echo looks puzzled.

"I'm not too sure, either." He admits. I lean against a bunk to take weight off my leg. The pain uses both Creeping and Surprise attacks. The Creeping attacks are gradual, the discomfort slowly building as I exert the limb. The Surprise attacks are almost completely self explanatory. They come out of nowhere with no warning, sometimes interrupting a Creeping attack. At least this time is only a built up Creeping attack.

"You've finally met your match." Fives teases.

"I'll admit it just this once." I agree. An evil cackle from Spitfire catches our attention.

"You _have_ been tamed!" She snickers.

"For the last time, I HAVE NOT!" I growl.

"Good. That means I can say it again without protest. You've been tamed."

"I may not be able to beat Echo in a fight, but I'm pretty sure you still have a couple years to go before you reach that point."

"So, you're saying you won't learn anything until I'm fourteen?"

"Hmm, good point. Guess I'll always be able to outfight you." She glares as her joke is turned against her.

"Could you two pause until I can get something to eat as I watch?" Chopper asks.

"No. And seriously, you don't think I just _might_ catch up to you?" Fire snaps.

"Experience wise, maybe. Skill wise, who knows. Rank wise, don't name your squad Pyro Squad." We hold each other's gazes for a few more seconds before grinning and fighting down snickers.

"Haar'chak, how do you make me laugh when I'm ready to kill you?" She giggles.

"Experience. One of those 'maybe's you might learn." She scowls, but still smiles.

"Is your sole purpose to annoy me?" She growls.

"Um, let me think...nope, I also annoy Fives. And Rex, when I can." Fives glares with mock anger.

"You forgot about us." Wing jokes.

"Oh, yeah. Come to think about it, there are a number of people I irritate."

"So, why did she try to kick you earlier?" Echo asks, tipping his head to Spitfire.

"Training. She has to sneak up and pin me for fifteen seconds." I explain.

"Your way of knowing when she's grown up?" Chopper teases. Fire elbows his gut. His armour protects him, but he does stiffen a little.

"If that's the purpose, you have to sneak up on and pin her, too." The young clone jibes.

"Ten credits say you won't pull that off." Bark says to Chopper. Great. My squad is taking bets on who can hold me down for fifteen seconds.

"You guys are going to make me sleep with both eyes open, huh?" I guess. Innocent whistling comes from Wing. The others shift and look around. "Fine. Just remember that the last guy to startle me in my sleep lost a finger." Thankfully, they were able to save Terry's extremity. I just hope I don't get someone's neck.

§ § §

Middle of the night: Decker is making sure Chopper keeps his head tilted back properly as the latter pinches the bridge of his nose. He'd jumped me and things went downhill for him.

The others are crossly waiting for the bleeding to stop so the lights can go out and we can get a few more hours' rest before our mission. I feel kind of bad for breaking Chopper's nose, but I _did_ give him fair warning. A bacta patch from a first-aid kit masks his face.

"I'll lay down the rules now, that you don't jump me in the Mess, bridge, briefing room, or any place with a bunch of other people." I say.

"And for our own protection, maybe not in the middle of the night? Sergeant Terry's finger _was_ actually cut off." Wing adds.

"And it's somewhat unfair." Tail agrees.

"For us. Adrenaline kick starts her fighting impulses." Chopper grunts.

"Don't talk." Decker orders.

"Adrenaline is a good fighting assist? Who knew?" Spitfire remarks sarcastically. She must love that he can't reply.

"Sorry, Chopper." I intervene. He makes a noise in the back of his throat that I can't identify. Really, it could've meant _it's fine_ or _drop dead_. After a few more minutes, the medic announces that the bleeding has stopped and lies Chopper down, arranging him according to the requirements of his injury. The others get back to bed and I turn out the lights.

§ § §

Bark has my wrists pinned against the wall and a knee against my stomach. I struggle, then a look of pure terror crosses my face. I even manage to blanch a little on command as I peer over his shoulder. He twists to look and I knock his foot out from under him. He pulls me down with him, but loses his grip and I spring off my hands onto my feet.

"How long was that?" I ask.

"Eleven seconds on the chrono." He says.

"Almost. Come on, let's eat. We only have so much time before babysitting." He snorts in amusement and we enter the Mess Hall. Grab food, head to the table where the slightly waving Fives and Echo are. They look bone tired. "Are you two alright? You look like a bantha ran you over." I say.

"Thanks. We had night shift. This is dinner for us." Fives replies crossly.

"Ah. Sorry." Chopper walks in. Bruising is under his eyes, and his nose is red and swollen, but at least the bacta patch is gone. I wince and wave him over. He seems reluctant, but comes with his food. A good sign if he's willing to eat at an occupied table.

"You _did_ give me fair warning." His humoured greeting is a pleasant surprise.

"Still, I should've realized it wasn't a serious attack before I fractured your nose." I give a small shrug.

"You could've cut off my hand, instead." He points out.

"I like it when you're optimistic. Where did this side of you come from?"

"The point of no return if you ask again." He replies.

"Warning received. For clarification, Echo, this is Chopper and Bark." I introduce. Friendly nods are exchanged.

"Sergeant Twitch, a word if, you please?" I look behind Echo and suppress a scowl.

"Mr. Carnem, could it please wait until after breakfast? We'll still have half an hour." He stiffens. I get the impression he isn't used to being told 'no'.

"Certainly. I shall be waiting at the gunship." He turns on his heel and leaves. I want to gag at his politeness.

"He's going to be a pain to babysit." Chopper groans.

"There goes the cheer. Don't insult the man to his face. I'll be sure to make it clear he's dead meat if he endangers anyone." I order.

"Those words exactly?" Echo asks with a smirk.

"I wish, but no." I eat quickly and leave after depositing my tray in the dirty pile of dishes. In the hangar, I find Zibrius pacing near the larty we'll be going down in. I walk up silently. "Mr. Carnem, you wanted to talk about something?" He starts and whips around.

"Yes, I was going to speak to you about your men."

"Sir, I assure you they _will_ protect you to the best of their abilities."

"That is not what I wished to talk about. It seems that they do not respect you or their superiors."

"In regards to me, I chose to drop the formalities quickly. If by superiors you mean yourself, they do respect you." Just a _little_ white lie.

"I thought they were programmed to salute and stand at attention until told otherwise when approached by superiors." I tense at the word 'programmed'.

"Their _training_ does promote that line of thinking. However, it seems somewhat impolite to make them do so every time you come within a ten meter radius."

"Oh, no, only when I address them." I fold my arms behind my back so he won't see my hands clenching.

"Sir, I will make one thing clear. I will not tolerate it if my mens' safety is compromised during this mission. You will do exactly as instructed when it comes to your safety management. Taking unnecessary risks just because you have a squad of troopers protecting you will _not_ be tolerated."

"Of course, of course. That's completely understandable. Though, as you put it, how did they react to 'dropping' formalities?" I feign ignorance.

"What do you mean? You make them sound like test subjects." There is no accusation in my tone, yet my words dare him with the challenge.

"I'm a scientist, so I am naturally curious."

"Like how you were curious about Shorty?"

"A rather condescending way to refer to him."

"How so? It's insulting to refer to a clone by his number if he has a name."

"Shorty is his name? Which Jedi decided on that?"

"Usually, clones are named by their closest brothers."

"You speak as though they have emotions." That fires me up.

"Why wouldn't they? They're human beings, flesh and blood. They feel pain, know what hope, sadness, anger, joy, fear and even love feel like, as all of them have experienced at least one of the above."

"Well, they were born in tubes, bred unnaturally." He points out.

"Some eggs are put in tubes, fertilized with sperm, and then injected into the mother. Do you have to grow as a fetus inside a womb simply to be human? Feel and think like any other human?"

"Why do you argue for them? Do you care? And if so, why?" I put on a overly-stoic face and a resigned, dramatic tone is used for the next sentence.

"I shall argue my point unto my death." I drop back into my usual demeanour. "Yes, I care; the worst form of torture in the universe wouldn't make me say otherwise. As to why, they've had my back since day one, and vice versa. Have you ever just talked with a clone? Not asking after his behaviour or origins?"

"No. Why would I?"

"As a scientist, do you find it wise to make assumptions?"

"No, that could get you killed." He says.

"Then why do you assume about clones?" He doesn't have an answer for that. Not for a while.

"I—"

"Sarge." Someone greets, interrupting the scientist. I turn and Pyro Squad salutes, standing at attention.

"At ease. We're doing things a bit differently, now. It's just us and the pilots, along with Mr. Carnem. Our top priority is to keep him safe as he studies the Infected population. Any questions?" After a few seconds, Tail shakes his head for the others. "Good. Our usual packs are on board. Let's move it!" They salute and get in the ship, grabbing the nearest pack and slinging it over their shoulders.

"What exactly is in your usual packages?" Carnem asks as I load one onto my back.

"Thermal detonators, manual detonators, and a few extra strong charges." I reply.

"We're called Pyro Squad for a reason." Fritz says with a snicker.

"Wish we could've added a video feed to that droid back on Mustafar." Bark adds, no doubt smiling under his visor.

"Well, we could have, but that would've take even more time." The mechanic points out. In hindsight, we probably should have skipped the prank altogether.

"Oi, Chopper, got any good stories of your own?" Shorty asks.

"Christophsis was fairly rough." He admits gruffly.

"Weren't you on Christophsis, too?" Tail glances at me.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Anything interesting?" Wing addresses Chopper. I feel the larty lifting up. The doors seal and we leave the Resolute behind.

"A spy was caught in our ranks. He caused some haran before he was caught." I think of Slick and suddenly remember Chopper was in his squad. Christophsis probably isn't his favourite subject.

I begin checking the contents of my pack. Faulty equipment can be the cause of anyone's death. The others begin doing the same, required by regulations to do so. The talking is over. Now everyone's absorbed in what they're doing.

I continue rolling a detonator in my hand as I watch Zibrius tap Jax's shoulder. The sniper turns, but the scientist has his back turned, shoulders hunched as he pretends to examine something. This happens to the others several more times.

After yet another of Zibrius' distractions, I slip behind him and jab his shoulder before turning and quickly opening a thermal detonator to examine the wiring within. I end up doing this several more times before he gets the message and stops with the others.

"We're down, Sergeant." One of the pilots report.

"I would very much like to see how the Infecteds attack and react to your explosives." Zibrius says. I nod before switching my comm to the pilots.

"Okay, we're going to do a hit and run. Open the port door." I hold on to a handle and lean slightly out of the open door to see a good location. Tail joins me, along with the scientist.

"What of that block?" Carnem points. I narrow my eyes as I try and pick out movement. A flicker of colour here and there signifies the presence of the Infecteds.

"Let's try the intersection northeast, three blocks down." I say over the comm. once we're hovering over the area, a rope ladder is rolled over the edge. I slide down it and go as far as I dare away from safety.

I look around and see an Infected watching from an alleyway. I draw a gun and shoot the Nautolan in the shoulder. A satisfying shriek comes, arousing the nearby Infecteds. Many of them charge me and I run, grabbing and activating a detonator from my pack before tossing it behind me.

I tackle the ladder and swing my legs up, going into the fetal position as I hold on to avoid the snapping teeth of a human. I climb up as the larty ascends and levels off, dragging myself up. The others are shooting and chucking explosives. Zibrius watches intently.

I calculate before tossing a detonator of my own, watching it kill several Infected and tossing their bodies into those of other lunatics, tripping them up. I begin prompting my squad members before rattling off coordinates on an imaginary grid. "Shorty, three dash seven. Chopper, eighteen dash twelve." When it had become apparent we would be using detonators often, we'd come up with a system for who throws where. Usually I'm the one giving out coordinates because I'm the demolitions expert.

"We've got more incoming from thirty five dash twenty!" Tail reports.

"Wing, Jax, take care of it. Spitfire, hit two dash fourteen. Bark, Fritz, five dash six and one dash one." I order. I lob another detonator and watch a group of Infecteds go flying.

"Sir, we've got flying company here!" A pilot says over the ship-wide comm.

"Turn us around so we can shoot them, then!" I growl. Which di'kut didn't send us gunners? The ship swings and we're faced to oncoming Shaliz'Na. The once angelic, now demonic Infecteds soar at us.

"Oh, my!" Zibrius exclaims, whimpering pitifully and cowering against the starboard door.

"They're top priority for now. Take them down!" I growl.

"I count nine of the kriffin' things." Tail says.

"Make that eight." Bark crows as a flying Infected with a five-foot wingspan falls out of the sky. The disease-ridden Shaliz'Na are, unlike any other Infecteds I've ever seen, dodging our bolts. They're making an effort of avoiding harm.

"Better be taking notes, Carnem." Spitfire hisses. A humongous Infected barrels into the larty cabin while we're occupied with the others. A huge wing slams into me. I tumble backwards and crack my head against something.

I try to think, but I suddenly realize how tired I am. Maybe if I just closed my eyes for a few seconds and drifted off, I'd wake up after the pain has run its course.

_Pain. Pain...pain! Pain means there's danger. My squad! The Infected, kriff!_

My eyes snap open and I get to my feet. The Infected is holding Fritz up. I shoot the back of its head twice, still confused and in pain. I can't think straight and I know it. Fritz is thrashing around. His helmet is off and his ear is bleeding.

_No... _

He freezes, jaw tightening as he fights for a few more precious seconds of control.

_Please, no..._

"Sarge..." Our eyes lock and his silent plea is cut off as he thrashes.

_You get bitten, you have twelve seconds to decide who shoots you._ My words bring my arm up, along with my gun.

"Just say the word..." My voice is far steadier than my emotions and mind.

_Please, don't let him be infected. _

I hear three other shots, none hitting the mechanic. My blood runs cold when I realize they were aimed inside the cabin.

_At...what?_

"Do it." No sooner do the words leave Fritz's mouth than I pull the trigger. One clean shot through his head ends him. The good humoured, happy-yet-serious, talented mechanic of Pyro Squad, killed by my own hand. I bite the inside of my cheek and look to Tail.

"Report." I rasp, sure that I wouldn't be able to handle looking at the carnage myself.

"We lost Fritz, Decker, Shorty, and Bark. Carnem is alright." My heart sinks, but I nod, not in control of my voice or body. I switch on my comm and address the pilots.

"We're heading back to the Resolute. Just hang on 'til we drop the bodies." Orders strictly demand that no Infected body may be brought back to the ships, even if confirmed dead.

Four dog tags are removed before our fallen members, along with their Infector, are rolled over the edge. "Take us up." I drone through the comm. no one talks as we ascend.

"So, you are disturbed by the loss of your comrades?" Zibrius asks.

"No, we're all overjoyed we just had to kill our brothers." Wing snaps.

"Wing." I warn. "Carnem, now is not a good time for questions." The silence continues. Tail hands me the dog tags. I hold them tightly, the four plates with Bark, Shorty, Fritz, and Decker's names, numbers and ranks clinking together to create a somber tune.

We land, the door opens, everyone files out before the squad turns to look at me for instruction. "Eat, sleep, get a check over at the med bay and take care of your equipment. We'll remember them later." I murmur gently, not wanting to speak loudly.

We will, of course, always remember the four members of our squad who didn't return from the mission; we always remember lost squad mates, but what I'd meant and what they translated my words as was that we'd take a couple minutes of silence to honour our dead brothers.

I secure the dog tags to my belt as they start to leave, then I follow them to the med bay. Field reports come after the required once-over at the end of missions. That's a rule even I don't break.

The others ahead of me part like water around a stone and continue walking past a trooper. I realize it's Rex and we both stop, waiting until the others are gone. Soon, no one is in the hallway except us.

For a while, we don't talk. Finally, I look into Rex's eyes with my own slightly wet ones, filled with tears I know I can't shed, because I'd never stop once I started. I'm trembling with exhaustion and emotions.

I can see concern and some other things I'm just too tired to name on his face. I finally reach down and grab the dog tags before handing them to him, explaining everything with this one simple action.

Something between pity and sorrow crosses his expression as he reads the names. He places a comforting hand on my shoulder. I let out a sigh/groan and let my cheek press against his hand.

"Rough day." I mumble.

"They were good men. Get some rest before you hand in the field report. It isn't due until tomorrow afternoon." The small gesture of pushing up the due date is a massive kindness. Sergeants usually have to write the report directly after their medical care. That Rex is giving me time to eat, sleep, and grieve is a priceless gift.

"Thank you." I take a deep breath.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum." He starts.

"Fritz, Bark, Decker, bal Shorty." I finish. We stay quiet for a few more seconds before the dog tags are returned to me. One last squeeze on my shoulder, and Rex is gone.

* * *

_A.N. ~ I kind of hate myself now... You guys know the drill. Within 48 hours, as usual. Please review._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Ni Su'cuyi, Gar Kyr'adyc, Ni Partayli, Gar Darasuum: [Nee soo-COO-yee, gar keer-AH-deesh, nee par-TIE-lee, gar dah-rah-SOOM] I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal. (Followed by repetition of dead one(s) name(s).) Daily remembrance for the dead.  
**

**Bal: [bahl] and**


	13. Scars

"You have a mild concussion. Rest and don't exert yourself too much." Kix says. "I'll give you a bit of painkiller for now. Come back if your head starts hurting too much." Blinking is my only response to the needle he injects into my neck.

"Alright. Thanks, Kix." I start getting up, but he stops me.

"What happened? You never accept a needle that easily." In respond, I jingle the dog tags. All I can describe his expression as is understanding. "I'm sorry. Go get some rest." I nod, focusing my eyes and meeting his for a short second before leaving and walking to our barrack.

Everyone else is here, cleaning equipment instead of sleeping or eating. I grab a rag and begin with my guns, taking one apart, finding and wiping away every bit of grime I can, putting it back together, and starting on the other.

Next I clean a gauntlet, though only the outside since the blades hadn't come out. Then the other. I put my guns in my cubby and sit, watching the others as they work. One by one, they finish, until we're all still.

I nod to Tail and jump down, stumbling when a Surprise Attack launches on my leg. He catches my shoulder. I recover quickly, but nod my thanks. Then I hand Wing Shorty's dog tag, Jax is given Decker's, Tail receives Fritz's, and I keep Bark's when no one reaches out for it.

The scout says the Mandalorian remembrance and we stand quietly, looking at the worn metal as the seconds tick by. Two minutes pass, but we stay in our spots, frozen in our thoughts.

§ § §

Field report handed in, I've eaten, slept (sort of), and now am following Kix's instruction of 'rest' by sitting on my bunk and staring into space. Nothing else for me to do.

But, inactivity means thinking. I don't want to think. Not this soon after losing nearly half of my squad. I'm not in shock. Not really. That's just something I can't afford to do.

There was no sparring today. Why would there be, when we all still have yet to recover and calm down from the last mission? No, all that's left is resting. I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes.

The momentary bliss of complete relaxation disappears when the metal presses uncomfortably against my skin. I grumble and give up on getting comfortable. I'm not sleeping anytime soon. I clamber down and head to the nearest gym.

Kix said to take it easy, and right now my mind translates that into _don't mess with your head_, so I simply practice kicks on a punching bag so I don't have to move my head around much. A particularity vicious side kick makes the bag swing. Strong fingers latch on to my right ear and I yelp.

"Rex! I didn't say anything!" I quietly howl.

"Guess again, but he was right. Works like magic." I blindly kick behind me and scrape the side of something.

"I'm angry, I'm armed, and let go of my ear!" I snap.

"I told you to not exert yourself."

"Really? Campaigns are exertion. Kicking a bag full of sand is something to do when you're bored. Ow! Too hard, too hard!" He releases me and I face Kix with a cross scowl. "Rex told you to do that?" I mumble.

"No, Rex did it after we were caught by Dooku and I remembered how well it worked. Really, I managed to keep Spitfire still for two injections before I needed assistance."

"_Two_? And she says _I'm_ the one getting tame." I leap backwards and Chopper bellyflops onto the floor with an _umph_. "Tackling isn't a very effective sneak attack." I growl. I'm knocked over by someone and we roll.

I thrash, trying to move my legs and arms. Someone is kneeling on my thighs whilst hands pin my forearms to the floor. I am, quite simply, unable to get up under the greater weight. I try the 'terrified' card, but Wing doesn't fall for it.

"Fifteen seconds on the chrono!" Chopper crows soon.

"Kriff it, get off!" I spit, though a grin is on my face.

"Sure thing, Sarge." Wing says with a small, mocking salute as he stands, offering me a hand. I take it and get to my feet. I'm tempted to pin them or some other show of combat dominance, but let them enjoy their victory. They high five and let out quick whoops.

"You said nothing about team ups." Chopper explains.

"That I didn't. Good job, you two. Oh, and new plan. Jump and pin Spitfire for fifteen seconds. Tell the others, but not her." They exchange grins with each other and nod.

"You sure you're not giving her ARC training?" Wing asks.

"Nope, I'm giving her street training. Though, the two are very similar nowadays." They snort in amusement before leaving. A whack to my shoulder from Kix reminds me I'm still in trouble.

"What was that all about?" He asks.

"Oh, I've been training Spitfire. I told her to pin me for fifteen seconds, but she tried in front of the rest of the squad. They all got in on it. Decker spent the night before our mission treating Chopper's broken nose." A pang of loss hits my stomach when I remember that Decker is gone.

"So, I take it the competition is over now that the terrible twosome have had their fun?" I nod.

"For everyone but Fire. She still has to pull it off for training." Something hits my back and I end up splayed on the floor. I think my spine is cracked. "Ow." I wheeze.

I feel my left arm moving and flip on my back while bringing up a kick. The back of my foot connects with a head and I lay on the floor beside my attacker.

"Ow." A slightly younger version of my voice groans. "Great, now we _both_ have concussions."

"Where the haran did you come from?" I mutter.

"Vents. I swung down and hit you with both of my feet and momentum." We talk without looking at each other.

"Okay, you get an 'A' for creativity and stealth. How long were you up there listening?"

"I wasn't. I attacked as soon as I got into position."

"'F' for gathering enemy intel. And no, Kix not ARC training, just something we both have used and require depending on the occasion." I see him kneel next to my sister in my peripheral vision.

"Are you dizzy, nauseous, have a headache, about to pass out?" He lists.

"All of the above." She moans dramatically.

"Wow. You may have actually give her a concussion." The medic comments.

"Sorry. On the bright side, a commando droid would've given you a grave." I chastise.

"Is that going to be your excuse every time you hurt me?" She growls.

"Probably. Kix, how bad is the concussion?"

"Mild. But you both better get some sleep. And if I catch you in here again I will wrench your ears 'til hey fall off."

"'Cause _that_ would improve our health." Spitfire points out. We sit up, grasp each other's forearms, and do a mutual pull-up. We both sway a little.

"Just remember that your health is the difference between the rest of your squad's safety and harm." And now I have no way of not resting with a clear conscious.

"Kix, how lightly do you sleep?" Fire asks sweetly.

"Assassination training is not until after you pin me." I remind.

"I've done plenty of assassinations!" She snarks as we put our arms over the other's shoulder to support our weight as we walk out.

"And I've done more. Look, we'll review what you know and your methods and work from there. But only after you pin me. And that comes only after we've both recovered from our concussions."

"Alright, MOM."

"Older sister, which without a mom entitles me to the same privileges and responsibilities. Plus I'm a sergeant. Your sergeant. Which puts me into that position by itself and—_oomph_!" She twisted us around and punched me in the stomach.

"Shut up and walk." She grumbles.

§ § §

Concussions take a while to heal. Spitfire and I are learning that the hard way. Kix has confined us to our bunks and the Mess Hall, including the hallways directly in between, and made it very clear to the rest of the squad that no one jumps anyone until he's a hundred percent sure we're healed.

After a few chats with Spitfire, we know that we both can't stand much noise, the poor kid is feeling sick to her stomach often, we both have headaches and get dizzy, we can't read so well with blurred vision now and then, and we'll be practicing 'assassin' on a Chopper very soon if he teases us or makes any more jokes about our loopy behaviour.

"That's it! You and me, one fight, right now!" Spitfire snaps one day, standing and grabbing the bunk she's next to so as to maintain balance and not fall over from nausea and dizziness.

"Sit down, Fire. Kix'd kill you for it." I say from my relaxed position on my own bunk.

"If it means wiping that smirk off his face, then sign in one Spitfire at the morgue." I roll my eyes.

"Don't make me come down there, I'm comfortable right now and really don't feel like moving."

"I'm not making you do anything. Come on, just one round."

"Do I need to put you two in corners again? Cadet Fire, sit back down. Cadet Chopper, do anything but annoying Spitfire." I realize snapping at and humiliating the two probably isn't the best way to go about this. I've been very short tempered lately.

Chopper goes back to his bunk and the younger clone lies down again. I calm myself and try to sleep. Carnem was reassigned to another squad since Pyro Squad is a mess with nearly half of its members gone and a concussed sergeant leading it.

Alright, Tail is basically the sergeant right now. He's kept everyone's heads on straight for me, usually breaking up fights and taking care of things so I can sleep and eat peacefully. I've thanked him at least a dozen times for it, too.

Some days I wonder if he knows how much he's appreciated. He probably would've dealt with Spitfire and Chopper if he was here, but he's at the gym, blowing off steam and energy. I hear a curse, then a returning curse, answered by a Mando'an insult.

"K'uur, gar atin ade." I order without moving. Translation; 'hush, you stubborn children'.

"What did she say?" Spitfire asks.

"She told you to be quiet."

"Did not! Can't you do it word for word?"

"Both of you, shut up." I say in Basic.

§ § §

I think, repeat, _think_, my concussion has had its fun and moved on. Spitfire is still down, much to my guilt, but we're doing better.

Until just before dinner. Our squad was about to go down to the Mess Hall when a ship-wide announcement stops us in our tracks.

"Attention all troops. This is General Anakin Skywalker, and I'm sorry to say that Dooku has rebuilt his droid army. We are once again at war, and all clone troopers are to report to the main hangar right away." The message ends. Everyone is a little pale and looking royally miserable.

"Alright, boys, you heard him. Armour up and let's get down there. Spitfire, you're coming." Tail, Chopper, Wing, and Jax clip on their armour and we go down. Rex, in full armour, directs us to where we are to wait. At our designated spot, we finally begin talking.

"Kriff!" Spitfire snarls.

"How'd we miss the production of an entire army?" Jax demands.

"We got cocky. Now it's coming back to bite us in the shebs." I reply.

"They couldn't have made too big an army, right?" Wing's optimism is met with silence.

"Droid factories can produce sometimes millions of droids in one day, depending on their size. We could be up against an army half the size of the last one to just as big. If Dooku is confident enough to declare war, it's probably a large one." Spitfire's explanation causes Wing's shoulders to curl in slightly and his head to tip down as he contemplates the thought of another war.

"How do you know droid factory production rates?" Chopper looks to my sister.

"Infiltration, intel gathering, and sabotage." She shrugs.

"For buildings teeming with droids, it's surprisingly easy to destroy them." I add.

"Main reactor core?" Fire guesses

"Overheated the cooling systems as a distraction first."

"Why didn't I think of that?" She mumbles.

"Because you're di'kutla with youth. Don't worry, if you don't get another concussion, I'm sure you'll smarten up soon enough." I duck a roundhouse kick.

"Ow! Let go, let go!" I look up and see Kix holding her ear.

"Which language do I have to say 'take it easy' in to make you do it?" He huffs.

"Say it in Geonosian and I'll do it." A smart way around it since no human could possibly produce the noises a Geonosian does when talking in its native language.

"I dunno, Kix. She may have beaten you this time." Wing chuckles.

"If I have to, I will trank you." He warns Spitfire. In four seconds flat, both his arms are pinned behind his back and he's on the durasteel ground.

"Show me a needle and I'll show you the floor." She retorts.

"Show me your best salute instead." A strict voice orders. She obeys instantly, along with the rest of us, crisply saluting...Coric.

"Sergeant." I greet.

"Sergeant." He echoes in return. "So, is there an explanation for why a fully trained trooper of the 501st was pinned by a kid?"

"I'm working on one. The main reason is the stubbornness of a patient." Spitfire grins proudly at my words.

"ATTEN-SHUN!" We all snap to attention without a second thought. Rex is behind and to the left of Skywalker.

The Jedi begins talking. "By now you all know that we've got a war on our hands on top of a plague..."

§ § §

Okay, I admit I blanked out during the speech. Lingering effects of the concussion? Basically, it was a _yes, we're at war again and still have to deal with the Infecteds on top of droids, but we can handle this_. Skywalker put it in a much better way, but a pep talk does very little when you know you have no choice but to return to the hell of the battlefield.

"Guys?" Wing mutters as we sit at a table in the Mess Hall, full plates and no appetites. Grunts answer him. "Toughen up." I muster a smile, though it's small and probably drier than Tatooine.

"Uh, maybe you should work on your pep talks?" Spitfire mumbles.

"Ouch. I know I did some di'kutla things when I was thirteen, but I thought at least that had been a good idea." I say, exaggerating a wince.

"She had pointed out she'd have said it to boost morale, except at that moment she would've punched anyone who said it to her." Tail explains.

"And she did, too. Even with armour on I had a bruise." Fives gives a lopsided smile, Echo standing to his right. We make room for them, putting eight people at one table.

"In your armour's defence, my hand bled after it." I offer.

"Wasn't that from you punching a tree?" He reminds.

"It was the tree or a vixus. I went with the less dangerous option."

"Tamed." Spitfire says quietly.

"I'll give you a recap on Umbara later. Suffice it to say, I'm glad you missed it." I reply curtly.

"How's training going?" Echo asks.

"Put on hold until a concussion _caused_ by training passes." I reply.

"She gave you a concussion?" He frowns.

"No, an _Infected_ gave me a concussion. _I_ gave _Fire_ the concussion."

"I attacked from above and received a high five in the face with her foot." She elucidates cheerfully.

"Once again; sorry about that."

"You don't control your reflexes, do you?" Chopper mutters wryly.

"Not usually." I realize that we've all begun eating. Good. I wolf down the food without another word. But of course, what better time for the kriffing Trandoshan to start up another fight. I look, see what's happening, groan, knock my forehead on the table, and stand. "Kriffing di'kutla shabuir!" I hiss. I slap the lizard on his snout and glare. "How did this start?" I demand.

"Go away, kid."

"There is a gym if you want to go one-on-one with people. The Mess Hall, however, isn't a boxing ring." I say. I'm backhanded and very, very calmly, floor the big lizard and pin him with a blade to the back of his neck. "For the love of a shabla nerf herder! Fine, to the brig with you." I look to the fuming Rodian. "Exactly what happened?"

"I bumped in to him on my way to a table. He completely overreacted." I look at the people near him for confirmation and they nod. I hoist the Trandoshan up (meaning I tugged and he stood up, since there's no way I could move anyone as large as him), and we walk out of the Mess. I press a gun to his back in place of my blades and we continue.

"Twitch, what're you doing?" Rex stops us.

"Taking him to the brig. He's been starting fights and I'm getting tired of breaking them up."

"Gave him fair warning?"

"Yep." A tail hits my head and the reptile starts running. I shoot him in the leg and he stumbles long enough for Rex to pin him.

"Jetar madle." The aggravator spits.

"Trust me, if we get into a cussing match you'll lose. Just walk before I stun you into next week." I order. We start, but a tirade of swears in 'Doshan assault us as we go. I start retorting, using a wider and more colourful range of insults as the argument goes on. I finally snap something that shuts up the lizard and makes Rex flinch.

"Where did you learn that?" He sighs.

"Remember how I used to use bars as information sources? Believe me, the Desert Ice is one of the nicest ones I've ever been to. Even after a visit from Savage." Down the lift, a few more hallways, and down to the brig. Only one other cell is occupied as we cage the Trandoshan.

"I have to admit you're creative. You didn't repeat yourself once." The Captain comments as we walk back to the Mess.

"Thank you. Should've heard Spitfire the other day. Chopper pushed her a little too far and she went off into languages I didn't even know existed."

"The girls in this family are dangerous, I'll give you two that. Pity Jango's sister refused to be cloned.

"I dunno. How many Pyro Squads do we need?"

"One is plenty. Your leg?" I glance down and watch the subconscious limp in my gait.

"Just a reminder I owe Grievous a new scar."

"Good luck with that. You can't really scar a droid."

"I'll go for his eyes. Pretty sure he doesn't have extras for those." We split up at the Mess, me going in and Rex leaving for some meeting or duty or something. I go back to the table seating my squad. "I hate Trandoshans." I mumble.

"Told you she'd say it." Fives nudges Echo. I glower as I eat my cold food. Soon as I'm done, Tail announces he's heading to the gym if anyone wants to spar. I go with him.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

"Sarge, can ask you something?" Tail murmured as they walked.

"Twitch, Tail. We aren't on a mission. Call me Twitch." After a few more seconds, the young sergeant nodded and Tail continued.

"Why do you always hide your arms when you clean your gauntlets? And why do you always wear them anyway?" He watched as she visibly stiffened. For a moment, the scout was sure he'd be ignored and worried that Twitch was somehow offended by his question. Just as he was sure she wouldn't answer, a tight smile crossed her lips.

"Never know when an attack might come. Force of habit from before I rejoined the Republic."

"But when you're cleaning them? You always wrap a blanket around your arms so no skin is visible." She didn't know wether she wanted to tell him or not. Even Fives and Rex didn't know about her deeper motives behind why she rarely removed her signature weapons.

When Tail thought about it, he realized Spitfire was the same. She would take off her weapons under the blanket, then pull up the sheets so they hid her arms, yet her wrists could peak out and scrub her gauntlets.

"You don't tell this to anyone else, alright?" Twitch finally murmured.

"This conversation doesn't exist." He agreed. Pyro Squad's sergeant removed her left gauntlet. Underneath was pale skin, but it was covered in scars. Burn scars, scars from cuts, acid marks, and some that he couldn't even name. Twitch waited for revulsion, shock, maybe even a sudden excuse for why Tail couldn't spar right then. "The other arm?" He asked.

"Just as bad. So are my back and lower legs." She replied, putting on her weapon again.

"How—when?" He stumbled over himself and guiltily noticed Twitch cringe.

"When I was captured. Years ten through twelve. Spitfire probably has similar marks."

"Why hide them?" The scout didn't see his sergeant as one to be bothered by a few wayward stares. She was used to that already. Her next words we a barely audible whisper.

"They're a sign of weakness." He stopped short. Twitch slowed and stopped as well, refusing to make eye contact.

"How could they possibly be that?" He demanded.

"They show I got caught. That I couldn't get away before I was hurt to the point of permanent marks."

"Jax got captured. We all got captured." He argued.

"That was different. You guys haven't had the same experiences I have. I'm used to sneaking around and escaping the rocks and hard places."

"Twitch, you are not weak. Your scars prove you've made it through things that most clones wouldn't. Escaped places no other clones have." She shuddered.

"Where we found Spitfire. It was the same place where I got most of my scars. It took me two years to get out of there the first time."

"You still got out. Under a week the second time. Spitfire isn't weak, neither are you." They had begun wandering and now stopped in a remote part of the Resolute where not a soul was to be found.

Twitch sighed and sat with her back to the wall. For only the second time since he met her, Tail saw, not his sergeant, but a child. A youngling in a war meant for those much older than her. The first time was when he first saw her in the Triumphant's hangar, coming towards him and his brothers.

He sat beside her, waiting for her next words. When none were forthcoming, he tentatively made a suggestion. "I—if you want to talk about them... I mean, only if you want to. If not, that's you're choice." She was quiet for a while longer before finally nodding and removing her left gauntlet again.

"The burn marks are from hot metal. Cut marks from blades. I don't know what type of acid they used. These thinner crooked ones are from my nails when I thrashed around from hallucinations. The round and deep ones are from old spears Dooku used..." She trailed off and hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. Tail noticed she was shivering. He rubbed at longer marks on the sides of her hands and wrists with his thumb.

"And these?"

"A method for escaping. I cut my wrists and hands on my chains until they could get out using blood to become slippery." He'd never considered self mutilation as a way for escape. She hugged herself tighter and he felt a wisp of pity.

Twitch was his commanding officer. He couldn't offer comfort. It wasn't his place. But...maybe he could offer friendship? He placed a hand on her bare arm. She flinched and he moved his hand to her shoulder.

"Getting away after being that injured is more impressive. What gets me the most is that you kept fighting them even when you knew what would happen if you were caught again." Twitch felt a little better after hearing that, but remained quiet. Then the scout handed her a deactivated com link. She blinked slowly and looked at him without comprehension. Then it clicked in her mind.

"You guys didn't." She sounded surprised.

"Chopper planted one to see what Carnem wanted to talk to you about. We heard what you said; the torture comment and how much you argued for us. Thank you." Twitch tried a small smile. It came out larger than she'd expected.

"Anytime, ner vod."

* * *

_A.N. ~ the next chapter will be up within 48 hours. I'm going to stop asking you guys to review, because I know very few people actually read the request and anyone who chooses will review because they wish to, not because they're asked._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Gar: [gahr] you (sing. and pl.)**

**Ade: [AH-day] children, sons, daughters**

**Ner Vod: [nair vohd] my brother, my sister, (or, less formally,) my friend**


	14. Cockroaches

_A.N. ~ disturbing parts ahead. I'm rating this chapter 'T, 12+' to be safe. You know your bounds, but don't say I didn't warn you._

_Friendly reminder: I don't own Star Wars. I only own my ONs in this story. Goodbye!_

* * *

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

For the first time out of many sparring matches, I consider taking off my gauntlets. I don't, since other people are here, but the thought at least crosses my mind. Tail restarts our conversation on our way back to the barracks.

"You could take them off, you know. Around the others; when you sleep. They'd stare the first time, but no one'll think you're weak."

"I'll think about it. You know what I don't understand?"

"What?" He asks. I smile.

"Why I haven't had you promoted to corporal by now. Great mystery of the universe." This earns me a prolonged stare.

"You'd consider me for corporal?" He mumbles, now looking down at his boots.

"You already are one, just not officially. I hope you at least know you're Two." Here's how the system works. Depending on how many people and which group of people you're discussing, there are still numbers one, two, and three.

If you confine this system to my squad, you know that I'm number one; the leader who calls the shots. Tail is my number two, the one who is my right hand man and basically the second leader; sergeant's second, though his authority isn't equal to mine. Number threes are the replacements for number twos. This would be Jax. He's my second most trusted in the squad. Don't get me wrong, I don't play favourites, but I'm simply choosing the men who fit the job best.

Tail now nods, a slight smile on his face.

"Thank you. I'd be honoured to be your corporal."

"I'll set up the promotion."

"Tomorrow. It's already late and you may still have effects of the concussion there." He's already exercising his newfound authority.

"Of course! Like I'd do anything to over exert myself." I grin, because it's more common than not for me to do just that.

"Ha, ha. Of course." Sarcasm drips from his voice as he draws out the 'of'.

"Would you prefer to tell the squad yourself or have me do it?" He is silent as he considers it.

"I'll tell them individually." I nod and we enter our barrack. Spitfire is cleaning her gauntlets, arms under blankets as usual. Chopper is dozing, Jax reading something on a datapad, and Wing is tossing and turning on his bunk as he tries sleeping.

Numa dashes past us, whimpering and on the brink of tears. She runs to the bunks that once belonged to our fallen squad mates. Quiet sobs wrack her body. She finally curls up on Decker's bed and hugs herself as she cries. I exchange a bewildered glance with Tail before sitting down next to the young Twi'lek.

"Nerras?" She sniffs.

"Osik! What do we tell her?" Wing asks in Mando'a.

"The truth? I have no idea. I don't do well with kids." I reply.

"You _are_ a kid!" Chopper points out.

"Yeah, but I'm not a six year old civvy kid." I retort as I hold Numa close and sway left to right. She wails at the loss of our brothers, not showing signs of slowing down in her tears.

"Should we trank her? Take her back to her parents?" Jax suggests.

"No, we don't know how much to give her. Besides, she'd come right back." Tail intervenes.

"Let her cry it out. She'll calm down eventually." I'm surprised that Chopper is the one to suggest allowing the crying to continue. Though, he's right about her calming down.

§ § §

Chopper was especially right about the 'eventually'. It took nearly an hour for Numa to stop crying and she's still sniffling on Decker's old bunk. It's pretty late and I know I should get her back to her parents, but I get the feeling she wants to grieve here.

I wonder how she found out. Surely her parents wouldn't tell her? I stroke her lekku distractedly as I think, my mind wandering back to the larty where we lost four of our men.

_Was there anything I could've done to save them? Dodging the wing would have been a start. Then shooting that kriffing oversized chicken. But I hadn't dodged the Shaliz'Na, and I hadn't shot soon enough. _

_We'll need replacements for Decker and Fritz. A medic in the squad is a must and a mechanic is preferable, especially since this is war and mechanics are necessary. The Fighter's Flight proved that._

I nearly slap myself for thinking of replacing Decker and Fritz like they never existed. Then the anger dissipates and I remember that we'd be replacing them out of necessity, not disrespect. I'll talk with Tail about it over breakfast.

I realize Numa has fallen asleep and pick her up, walking down to her parents' quarters. Both her mother and father open the door.

"I was wondering where she went. Thank you." He says. I nod and hand Numa to her mother. Then the father hugs me and I freeze, dumbfounded at the action. "I'm sorry for the loss of your brothers." He murmurs as he lets me go.

"Thank you... I'm sorry, but how did you find out?"

"We noticed that there were members missing from your squad in the Mess Hall. Your moods are what confirmed they had passed."

"Oh..." I trail off. The mother starts in a commanding tone as she talks in Twi'leki.

"My wife is telling you to go to bed at this ridiculous hour that no child should be awake at." The husband translates. I almost laugh at being mothered by the one who tried hitting me the first time we met.

"Yes, ma'am. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

§ § §

"You're right about replacing them. We need a medic now that the war is back, and Fritz saved our shebs plenty of times." Tail says quietly as we eat. I nod as I take another bite of my nuna eggs.

"I'll talk to Rex about it. Plus your promotion." He smiles.

"It's so copikla how you refer to the Captain in the familiar." I narrow my eyes.

"Maybe you should rethink the wording of that sentence." He pauses with his fork halfway to his mouth. With perfect comedic timing, an expression of realization and dread cross his face as a glob of nuna eggs fall back onto his plate.

"Kriff! Sorry sir. Um, ma'am. I mean, Twitch—I mean..." He groans. "I'm going to throw myself out an airlock now."

"Definitely not. It's fine, Tail. We both know Mando'a is complicated. Just please never refer to me as 'cute' again. I might be the one to throw you out an airlock then." He huffs in amusement, knowing he's safe.

"I dunno. You've gotten a lot more self control than when you were thirteen. Spitfire, I'd believe would throw me out an airlock."

"Nah, she might floor you, but she'd never kill you. Wait, what do you mean I've gained self control? I was completely self controlled a year ago!"

"You would've punched Carnem a year ago. And Chopper, for that matter." He points out.

_I would not have! Maybe..._

"Speaking of gained self control, he's smoothed out fairly well. He even fights less with Fire." I divert.

"There's an achievement to behold. Remind me how he and Wing got you?"

"Chopper tried and failed to tackle me, and while he was distracting me and scuffling around, Wing was able to floor and sit on me. Chopper moving around kept me from hearing Wing come up. Good plan." He raises an eyebrow.

"So, a droid could pin you?"

"Assuming it snuck up on me. Droids aren't smart enough to pull off what Wing and Chopper did. Problem for them is they would probably be moving me. That's the best time for escape."

"Sergeant Twitch, please report to Captain Rex's office." The intercom drones. I gulp down the last of my food and swig what's left of my water. (I don't drink caf. That would be the end of the universe.)

"This is either really good or really bad. Bye, Tail." I drop off my tray and cup before leaving. I knock on the door of Rex's office.

"Come in." He calls. I open the door and pause, looking over four blue marked troopers standing in front of the Captain's desk. They observe me with surprise, their helmets tucked under their left arms with duffels dangling beneath. They definitely aren't shinies. The marks of blue and scratches on their armour rule out that possibility.

Maybe I was accidentally called here and interrupted a meeting? No, Rex has that _I know what's going on _look.

"Sergeant, meet the new members of Pyro Squad." I blink in surprise.

_Have I really become that predictable to Rex? Must have, if he's already found me new troops._

To hide my reaction, I blank out my face to the point of sternness.

"Thank you, Captain." We exchange salutes.

"Why don't you introduce them to the rest of the squad?" He suggests.

"Yes, sir." A quick, silent conversation passes between us.

_Are you alright with this?_ He asks.

_Yes,_ is my reply before I turn and walk out, followed by the others.

"So you're a sergeant?" One of the troops asks as soon as we're too far from the office to be heard. Another of the four elbows him.

"Yes. Your names?" The one who'd elbowed his friend is the first to answer.

"CT-4579." He says. The one who'd asked about my rank goes next.

"CT-2089."

"CT-5978."

"CT-3166." Comes last. I lock their numbers in my mind, but shake my head.

"I'll remember, but do you have _names_?" They exchange glances.

"You care?" The obnoxious trooper asks. I'm tempted to retort, but decide not to feed the troll.

"Yes." I repeat.

"I'm Adenn." The hothead says blankly, looking like he doesn't have any other response for me. I fight back a frown. 'Adenn' is Mando'a for 'merciless'.

"Kal." Says one of the two who have been completely silent so far. 'Blade'. This'll be good.

"It's his obsession. I'm Dodge." A smile tugs my lips at the gentle teasing. Kal shoves his friend's shoulder a little.

"I'm Cross." Cross has been quiet so far, though I note the red symbol on his shoulder marking him as a medic. I nod my satisfaction as we enter our barrack.

All activity stops. Well, all except Spitfire slamming Chopper into a wall and holding him there as she studies our new arrivals.

"Fire, what are you doing up?" I sigh.

"Reminding this di'kut that I am, in fact, not soft." She replies with a grin.

"You aren't, but you _do_ have a concussion, so let him go and sit down." She shrugs and releases Chopper before sitting on the bottom half of a bunk. Wing and Jax are missing, though Tail is here.

"They went to the gym for sparring." He explains, not needing me to speak to know what I'm thinking.

"Good to know. Cross, Kal, Dodge, and Adenn, this is Tail, Spitfire, and Chopper." Nods all around. Our new members pick out unclaimed bunks and cubbies, taking off their armour and, with mine and Spitfire's backs turned, change into their leisure clothes. A knock announces Numa's arrival. She hides behind me and observes the replacements.

"Nerras?" She trills.

"Nerras." Tail agrees. He receives a small wave before Numa approaches Dodge. He makes an unsure sound as she smiles at him.

"How many kids show up around here?" Adenn growls.

"Just Numa." Chopper isn't the one I expected to say that, but he does, and I'm thankful.

"Someone mentioned a concussion?" Cross asks quietly. Spitfire groans.

"Twitch, what have you done?" She mumbles.

"Made Kix's life easier." I reply, a mischievous smile on my face. Cross approaches her.

"What happened?" He queries in the same soft tone as before. Fire and I lock eyes for a moment.

"Um, a training accident involving the back of a foot and my head." She explains. I almost apologize and undo her discretion.

"Mind if I check?" She nods, slightly surprised at his politeness judging by her expression. A Surprise Attack begins on my leg and I lean against a wall. Tail joins me.

"You're alright?" He asks so only my ears hear him.

"Yeah. Just worried Spitfire'll clash with Adenn."

"Sure bet. But, she's already smoothing out with Chopper, so at least we know there's hope for eventual peace between them."

"Eventual being months, but you're right. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to ask about your promotion. I'll go see Rex as soon as these four are settled in and...not becoming Fire's punching bags."

"It's fine. I've already told the others you're going to ask. I didn't make any promises or assume anything."

"There's no reason Rex would say no to you being a corporal, but that's good nonetheless." I tune back in to the conversations. Spitfire is arguing with Adenn that a twelve year old most certainty could beat him in a fight, Cross is keeping her from standing by holding her shoulders down, while Dodge and Kal watch with both amusement and interest. When they start getting into insults and cussing, I decide to end it.

"Fire, Adenn, I think that might be enough. Try avoiding a one-on-one until the concussion is gone." Adenn sizes me up. The missing hardness in my voice and lack of orders is due to me being used to the respect and obedience of my squad.

He backs off, Cross practically leaps away from my sister. Never thought I'd see a medic afraid of contact with his patient. I hear muttered expletives and look to the door as Wing guides Jax in. The sniper's head is tilted back as he pinches his nose and blood marks his face. I grab the med kit while Jax sits down.

"What happened?" I demand.

"I didn't block Wing's fist quickly enough. I don't think it's broken." He explains. A gentle cough from Cross reminds me that we have a medic again. I move out of the way and he holds some gauze under Jax's nose while his fingers explore the bone.

"You're right, it's in one piece. Bruised, probably, but not broken. The bleeding will stop soon." Jax grunts something, not able to nod.

"I think head injuries are getting a little too common." Tail murmurs.

"I think you're right." I agree.

§ § §

Civilians are being transported to planets like Naboo as refugees. Tail got his promotion and now is my corporal. Spitfire's concussion is almost gone and it's back to war for us.

And what better place for Dooku to have the opening battle than where it all started: Geonosis. Not everyone is going. Someone has to protect the Inner Rim. But, the 212th and 104th Attack Battalions are coming with the 501st to go up against the new droid army. I'm particularly pleased to hear the 659th Battalion, Captain Keeli and General Klairen Ghynna's group, will also be joining us.

Maybe Shiny will be with them. Surely he has a name by now? Assuming he isn't Infected—no, no, he isn't. I refuse to follow that line of thinking.

I've been doing my research on Geonisis and its inhabitants. Airborne Geos should be hit in either their heads or wings. Head-shooting ground troops is also recommendable. If not, go for the joints where cracks in their armour make them weak. I'm pouring over a datapad on the climate and weather patterns of the desert planet.

"Twitch, coming for lunch?" Tail asks. I shake my head distractedly as I get into the radiation bouts that occasionally hit the planet's surface. I end up missing dinner, too, but do go to the Mess Hall when the others turn the lights out.

Well past midnight in the ship's cycle, I break my 'no caf' rule and get a mug. I've been reviewing the first and second battles of Geonosis. If any planet has reasons to be hated by clones, this one has plenty.

Droves of Geonosians with heavy artillery, lifting up and dropping troops from break-neck heights, mind control using Brain Worms, siding with Separatists from day one, droid factories, nearly any and everything they could possibly do to be a problem for the Republic.

I take a sip of the warm, strong liquid and look at what pictures we have of the Brain Worms. A shudder runs down my spine and I take another gulp of my caf. Some things, I already know about where we're going, but I have to learn as much as I possibly can before we begin fighting.

I rub my face with one hand before looking over my datapad again. The words blur together and I groan. Maybe I should go to bed. But then I'd only have three more days by the time I woke up.

But if I'm exhausted it wouldn't matter if I knew every single fact in the universe, because you die if you're exhausted in battle. Sure you could last for a while, despite being tired, but even Jedi can't last forever.

An itch starts on my right arm under the gauntlet. No one is in here besides me and I doubt anyone will be around for a while, so I remove the gauntlet and scratch overtop a deep mark from when a spear tip went in. I put the weapon back on, still afraid someone might see. I take one more sip and begin reading, feeling a little more awake.

§ § §

I grunt my acknowledgement as Tail sits down across from me.

"Been here a while?" He asks. Another incoherent sound from the back of my throat answers him. I frown when I read that Commander Tano and Commander Offee nearly killed themselves in the process of destroying a droid factory.

"Amateurs." I mutter as I skim over the report. I've been talking to myself for hours. I try taking a swig from my caf and find that the cup is empty. Again. Why is the caf always gone?

I lick my lips subconsciously as I move on to the Battle of Point Rain. I'm going from end to beginning of the Second Battle of Geonosis. The three-pronged attack, Skywalker blowing up a fortress to get the survivors of his attack force to the staging area...my throat tightens a little when I read that Waxer and Boil had been the ones to pull Kenobi and another trooper, Trapper, out of their crashed gunship.

"Who're amateurs?" He asks, sitting back down after leaving to grab us both some caf without me noticing. I nod thanks before halving my drink.

"Oh, couple of people almost died blowing up a factory. Really, if they wanted it destroyed, they could've just wired the reactor and ran." I grumble the last sentence.

"What've you been reading?" He asks.

"First and second battles of Geonosis, Geonosian weather patterns, natives and their weapons, Brain Worms, basically everything I can find on the oversized cockroaches."

"Already don't like them?" He teases before taking a smaller swallow of his drink.

"I've already met some, but yeah, I especially want some bug spray after reading all this."

"I don't think that'll cut it." He points out.

"You're right. We'll just have to nuke the whole planet. Remind me why we don't?"

"No idea. Cockroaches can survive nukes?" He suggests.

"They can? Haar'chak. Wait...hmm, maybe the Commanders didn't have so much choice in the factory..." I really did try giving Tail my attention, but I started reading a sentence or two of Tano and Offee's report and that led to a paragraph, which led to the rest of the report. I switch to notable Geonosians, but a lot of it is outdated or useless at this time.

I drink some more caf and blink in confusion. The cup is empty...again.

"Twitch, maybe you should go to bed?" My corporal says.

"Maybe. Still got a lot to cover."

"You don't have to learn every aspect of the Geos possible." Tail gulps down the rest of his caf.

"No, but it would be really useful if I did. Did Fire kill anyone in their sleep?"

"No, but Cross is having a bit of trouble keeping her down. New authority figure she needs to challenge so as to be sure he's worth obeying." I nod.

"You've figured her out, huh?" I yawn and glare at the datapad. Such a large databank.

"You really need some rest. A tired trooper..."

"Is a dead trooper." I finish. "Still have three days..." I look at the table, blushing for some reason.

"You know anything could happen within three days."

"Fine, I'll go sleep. After I eat something." I stand and nearly fall back onto my seat.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll eat something as soon as I get the blood back into my legs. They're asleep..."

"Something you should be." He reminds.

"I'm working on it!" I mumble while massaging my thighs.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Fives stopped short at the entrance to Pyro Squad's barracks. Twitch was on her bunk, right hand clutching a datapad on her chest with her head resting against the wall. Her left leg was flat and straight on the bed while her right was bent, foot braced on the mattress. Her left arm dangled over the edge as she slept.

He frowned. She was usually awake by then. It was oh nine hundred, her favourite time for sparring. Twitch wasn't one to oversleep, and her squad made enough noise to not permit it regardless of how tired she was.

He would move her into a more comfortable position, but he preferred having all limbs and extremities intact. As he watched, her slack face contorted into a mixture of anger and loss before helplessness and terror.

§ § §

A MINUTE EARLIER

Inside Twitch's head, a nightmare kept her mind on its toes. A desert surrounded her as far as the eye could see, yet stone spires with black holes in them flickered in and out of sight like mirages.

Geonosians whirled everywhere, forming a cloud as they bore down on her and other troops of the 501st. She did not wonder where the other clones had come from, because having them and General Skywalker (who had also just appeared) with her in such a large battle seemed normal.

No matter how many they shot, there was always another large insectoid to replace the last. Enemy fire rained down on them, yet no one seemed to fall. Beside her was Rookie, who became Fives, then transformed into Rex, then other friends. He was all yet none of her closest brothers at once.

A stray shot hit them and then everyone else began falling. Spitfire went down. It was like Twitch was in her body and seeing from her usual point of view, yet also hovering outside of it, able to see everything at once.

Only when everyone else was dead did a shot hit her. She fell back, but didn't stop when she hit the ground. Rather, the earth beneath her shattered and she fell, suddenly landing on a solid platform.

Twitch had felt the impact, but none of the pain that should have accompanied it. She stood into a chair, suddenly sitting at a table, playing sabacc with Fives. Nothing seemed strange to the young sergeant. Her thoughts didn't question the impossible physics she'd just gone through.

"You have to sabe uckkss." Fives' words became choked and strange. Twitch watched in abject horror as blood began seeping from under the ARC's chin. The crimson liquid started to come from his mouth as he continued gurgling, completely incoherent yet his words clear as day to the girl.

_Save us, or it'll be your fault,_ he would say, or, _you will fail, and we will die_. Many things of that manner continued as blood slipped in dark tears from his left eye.

"Fives, oh, kriff." Twitch gulped. His left eye slid out of its socket, rolling to her hand. His head exploded in a bloody volcano.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

"FIVES!" I screech, sitting bolt upright as my own scream echoes in my head, lingering from the dream. My heart beats twice as fast as its usual rate and the raw horror of my nightmare causes fear to prickle down my spine. The datapad is on the mattress in front of me and I'm hyperventilating.

"It's alright, vod'ika. I'm fine. Just a dream. Are you alright?" His hand surrounds mine. I realize that I'm shivering.

"Yeah. Just found out I'm more creative than I thought."

"That bad, huh?" I blink.

"What?" How could he tell...

"You have a habit of making jokes when we're upset. Must've been pretty rough if you're trying to comfort me when I have no idea what was going on."

_Oh, um...oops._

"Um, just don't explode, alright?" Fives nods.

"You overslept." He comments. For a moment, my tired mind thinks he's right. Then I notice the datapad and shake my head.

"No, I was up all night in the Mess. I just got to bed per Tail's badgering."

"You better get back to sleep, then." I practically leap off the bed.

"That's alright. I think I'd rather head to the gym. Where are you going?" I speak quickly.

"I was going to ask you to spar. You're sure you want to stay up?" I nod vigorously.

"Oh, yeah. Let's go." He's already in worn workout clothing. I nearly take off my gauntlets, but remember that I'm wearing a short-sleeved top. Kriff, I can't keep them on, else I bruise or break Fives' arms.

They gym is occupied by plenty of other clones, too. Only a remote corner is left for sparring. Thank the powers that be. I look around nervously before slowly removing my gauntlets, flinching when a few nearby men stare. Fives watches me curiously.

He saw my scars on Plytunon, but I wasn't acting like a criminal then. Besides resistance to local authorities, of course. I glare at the next person to hold their eyes on me for too long.

Fives nearly punches me, dodged only because of my sharp hearing and nervous reflexes. I'm so busy fighting him I soon forget everyone else. Duck a kick, swing myself in between his leg by grabbing and holding onto his arm as it retreats from attack, kick his back and backflip over his returning roundhouse strike.

It looks like Echo hasn't managed to teach him how to beat me. He tries flipping me on my back, I land on my feet, bent back so only his grip on my arm keeps me from falling. I spin and twist his arm behind his back, then am tossed over his shoulder as he flings me off.

I land in a roll and pop back on my feet. I nearly make a noise of surprise when I see his foot is about to hit me. Drop into a bridge, push off and end right side up on all fours. I knock his leg to the side and sweep his not-moving one out from under him. He rolls and tries getting up, but I dart in to finish him.

_Whap! _

I tumble to the side in a daze and leap onto my feet.

"Son of a nerf herder! Meg te haran?" I refocus my eyes and glower at Echo. He helps Fives up.

"Sorry. I just couldn't stand watching him being beaten any longer." He explains. His eyes catch on then pass over my scars. I realize I'm aching from colliding with the floor and twisting in awkward ways.

"Could've just asked." I point out while leaning against a wall and massaging my leg.

"I'll have you know I had everything under control. She was right where I wanted her." Fives says, raising his chin in mock arrogance.

"Uh-huh." Echo and I say. I kneel to grab my gauntlets and someone tackles me. We roll over and over in attempts to remain on top. Next time the person is on top of me, I toss them away. I leap to my feet.

"Spitfire, you're supposed to be resting. I don't want you with another concussion this close to Geonosis." My tone is harsher than I mean for it to be. Her eyes narrow at my use of her full name.

"The concussion is gone. I thought you'd be happy I was ready to take you."

"I'm happy you're up to fighting. I'm not happy you're fighting me and risking injury." She huffs.

"I thought I would take you by surprise! Training this close to Geonosis seems like a good idea."

"Aright, alright, you just startled me. But we most likely won't be assassinating anyone. There are too many Geos for that. Killing in large numbers will probably the most helpful thing to learn. Meaning you and I will be talking explosives for a while."

* * *

_A.N. ~ vod'ika means little sister. Not officially, but that's what it's supposed to mean. 'Ika' means 'small' or 'little', while 'vod' you already know means 'brother', 'sister', or 'friend'. And, 'ika' traditionally goes on the back of a word. Thus my logic. __Also, I borrowed the idea from 'Scars', by Reulte. _

_And below is the official definition for copikla. Twitch's nightmare was based off the first cutscene in 'Alice: Madness Returns'. The next chapter will be up within 48 hours._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Copikla: [koh-PEEK-lah] charming, cute (babies and animals; never women unless you want your head ripped off)**

**Adenn: [ah-DEN] merciless**

**Kal: [kahl] blade**


	15. The Third Battle Of Geonosis

"Kriff! I just killed us. Again!" Spitfire snarls.

"Calm down. Bombs are tricky. Start over." I reset the training dud and she starts, quickly following wires to their sources and deposits, figuring out what does what, breaking the links on certain ones.

Basically, each wire has a bit that's magnetized in the middle, holding it together or breaking it in two easily. A red light flashes and I nearly expect Fire to punch the device, seeing how she just blew us up again.

"I'm just not pyro material." She grunts.

"You've gotta be skilled at something, 'cause you sure as heck didn't make it to twelve by prancing around." I retort.

"I'm good at _sneaking_ around." She says haughtily.

"You won't be doing much sneaking on a bug covered dustball. Anything we can use in open combat?" In truth, I don't want her down on Geonosis. She isn't used to massive battles and campaigns.

"I don't _do_ open combat! I do assassination and infiltration. Cloak and dagger stuff!" She practically yells.

"I know, and I'd rather you were doing that than taking on a campaign, but I don't have much choice, so help me keep you alive!" I snap. We're the only ones in the barrack.

"What do you want me to do, make up a talent?" She demands.

"That would get you killed. I want you to tell me anything and everything you've ever even been slightly good at." I growl.

"I get into computers; hacking. I...rewire droids, pattern recognition and planning out routes to get from one place to another." Cloak and dagger. I'm seeing it now.

"Pattern recognition and plotting out courses are your best bets. Try to find patterns in the Geos' attacks and habits, then plot a course from one bug to the next and how you'll kill them. Their heads are the best places to hit. If in flight, head and wings. Joints are next, then the lower abdomen." I explain.

"Okay, at least I won't die right away." She concedes.

"Stay close to me. I'll watch your back. Were both going to walk out of this alive, got it?" She nods.

"Alright. Thanks."

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

"Move, move, move!" Rex shouted. Arrow and Pyro Squads along with Coric and another squad of troops charged out of the gunship. Enemy fire flew at them. Twitch blocked a shot aimed at her chest.

"Terry, take up the left flank. Coric, the right. Twitch, Pyro Squad with me." Rex ordered. Spitfire took Twitch's left and the rest of the squad took up positions. Tail was behind and to his Sergeant's right. Rex put her back to his left.

They shot as they ran beside other groups of other squads. Geonosians whirled through the air. Several Geos dove at Pyro Squad. Twitch activated a grenade and tossed it at them. Either they were caught in the blast or knocked out of the air. "We've got tanks southwest of those spires." Rex warned, relaying scouts' information that had just come in through his HUD.

"I can take care of those!" Spitfire replied while taking down her first Geonosian. She was desperate to do something other than fight in the open, which she usually never did if she could help it.

"Be careful." He said while nodding his consent. She backed up, firing her twin DC-17s before dashing away into a bunch of three-meter-high stone towers.

"But...she's just a kid." Dodge murmured worriedly, mostly to himself.

_How could Rex send a youngling on such a dangerous mission alone? _He wondered.

"Yeah, but she's a tough kid. She's used to sabotaging." Twitch said. Dodge lightly sidestepped a bolt and returned fire. Twitch was starting to understand his name.

Adenn was using a Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon and effectively making sure no hostiles got too close. Cross was shooting and looking around.

"Medic!" Someone shouted. Cross' head swivelled around and he saw the two troops; one lying on the ground and the second kneeling over him.

"Adenn, cover Cross." Twitch ordered while twisting to avoid a shot. Rex was shooting, but he was unusually still.

"Incoming clankers from the east! B1s and 2s." A scout warned over the helmet-to-helmet comm.

Rex began talking. "We've got incoming B1s and SBDs." He said over the main comm channel.

"Where from, sir?" Twitch asked while ducking a Geo and shooting at it.

"East." He replied. She looked out and smirk.

"East; where all those great spires for grenade ambushes are?"

"That would be the place." He agreed. Twitch made a contemplative humming sound while shooting over her shoulder, not looking, yet hitting a Geonosian that had been lining up to kill her. "Let's hear it." The Captain grunted.

"Permission to welcome the droid army back, sir?" She said, narrowly escaping a barrage of laser bolts.

"Make it count. We don't know how long we'll be down here." He ordered.

"Yes, sir. Tail, you're sergeant 'til I get back." The scout nodded, steeling himself to take over the squad.

Meanwhile, Spitfire was busy slipping past the enemy lines and looking over what she'd have to go through in order to destroy the tanks. There were a few of the usual B1 guards, a couple of B2s, and a command droid in one of the AATs. She carefully worked her way behind the tanks.

Step One: get the guards away from the tanks. She grabbed a grenade from the pouch on her right hip and made a wide berth around to the right of the tanks. She set it for two minutes to detonation and ran back to her previous position. She prepared another grenade.

The explosion went off and the rear guard went to investigate. She ran to the nearest tank, climbed up the back, opened the top hatch just enough to pop in the explosive, did the same with the second tank, and high tailed her way out of there. The explosions covered her exit and distracted the droids. Unfortunately, a swarm of Geonosians descended on her.

"Well, this is perfect. I go in and blow the tanks, no muss, no fuss, I nearly get away without a trace, and then I'm attacked by oversized grasshoppers." Spitfire muttered to herself as she blocked and returned fire.

§ § §

"Kriff!" Twitch yelped. She had been planting one of the final grenades when a Brain Worm tried getting in her head. An inch of it was up her nose while the rest of it struggled against both her hands as she kept it out. With a firm jerk, she pulled the parasite out.

The invisible bristles it had used to hold on tore at her flesh as they exited. Blood dripped down her chin as he cut the Worm in half before crushing it under her foot. The telltale clunks of metal feet against hard packed dirt reminded her of her little surprise and she began to run, flipping out a remote detonator and pressing the button as soon as she was clear and her senses dictated the droids were in position.

She wiped the streaming blood on the back of her hand. Leaving a trail and her DNA wasn't on her to do list. She held her hand there as she ran. Her comm was beeping and she activated it.

"You've got more tanks forty five degrees to your left." Rex said.

"On it." She turned back and ventured to the left of where the tanks were supposed to be. She hid behind a spire and quickly looked over the three AATs. Minimal security. She nearly left cover before remembering that the hole-dotted spires could be full of Geonosians.

She decided on a new plan and began placing grenades on the spire she was beside. Next, she dashed out, into open space and full view of the droids. Grabbing another grenade, she set it and blew another spire. The ones she had placed went off. The stone fell, and just as she had predicted, crushed the tanks along with most of the droids. That was her cue to run.

"Cockroaches. Better get my shebs in gear." She growled.

§ § §

"Those wouldn't have had anything to do with Sarge, right?" Kal asked, replaying the spires of rock fall through his mind. Tail chuckled.

"In all likeliness, yes. She has a habit of blowing things up during campaigns."

"My ears are burning." They jumped at Twitch's sudden appearance. Blood was dripping from her right nostril and a bruise was forming on her left cheek, but other than that she seemed fine. Much to Kal's delight, blades slid out of her gauntlets just before she deflected a laser bolt. A green light caught her attention and she turned on her comm.

"Twitch! I'm neck deep in osik, here. A kriffing Sith came out of nowhere! Whoa!" Spitfire yelled. A familiar bellow of rage caught Twitch's attention and she visibly blanched.

"Twitch?" Rex shouted over the sounds of battle.

"Sir, please, she needs backup. Let me go." Tail was shocked at her desperation. She was practically begging.

"Get moving. I'll call the General." The Captain replied.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I dash past spires of rock. Spitfire can't hold against Opress. His skill has probably progressed while my sister's is still developing. Up ahead, I hear him talking.

"Ah, Twitch. You don't look a day older. If anything, you seem to be younger." I enter a clearing, dust swirling up from my boots as I stop.

Savage is in a deadlock with Spitfire, the latter losing ground fast as she tries to keep his blade from cutting her in half from head to toe.

"Sorry, but you have the wrong girl." I say, drawing the Sith's attention. Fire manages to duck away and stagger to my side.

"Interesting. Two female clones?" He says while flourishing his double-bladed lightsaber.

"Twice your trouble." I reply cooly.

"I think I'll end my trouble." We charge each other and clash. I have to mainly block and evade his lightsaber. I don't have much room for offensive actions.

"I think I also owe you a beating. I recall that's what happened to my sniper."

"Twitch, your comm." Spitfire calls from the sidelines.

"Occupied, call my sister." I snap over the line before turning it off and dodging a 'saber.

"It's General Skywalker. You yell, I'll yell for him." She calls. "And he's asking what you're doing."

"Busy fighting Opress." I retreat as a grenade knocks his feet out from under him with a small blast. "Everything's involved except the kitchen sink and heavy artillery."

"Ha, ha. How are you holding up?" I'm assuming that's word-for-word.

"Great. ETA?" I gasp as I flip away from a vicious kick.

"I'm working on it. Within the hour. Not too much trouble?"

"Oh, no. I held Opress for an hour last round. Take your time, I'd like to break my record." I nearly cut open Savage's side, but he blocks. Barely.

"Sorry, you won't. I'll be there soon." That's the end of the call. I notice another light flashing in my gauntlet.

"You've reached Twitch. I'm currently unavailable at the moment, but if it's urgent, you can reach me by calling my sister, Spitfire. Thanks, bye." I quip.

"You have quite the attitude." Spitfire calls drily. "Rex's words, not mine."

"I'm too busy dealing with horned lunatics to sensor my language." I retort.

"Skywalker is on the way."

"He told us. How's the fighting over there?"

"Dooku's getting soft. Is it rubbing off on his pupil?"

"Hard to tell. He's playing hard to get."

"Do you clones always talk this much?" Opress growls.

"No. If you interrogate us, we turn into mimes." I smile as I say this.

"Then, by all means, treat this as an interrogation." He nearly kills me.

"Start talking. What's Dooku's plan?" I can see his irritation at my joking.

"Got someone else calling in. Gotta go, Captain." Spitfire warns.

"K'oyacyi." He orders.

"Twitch, it's Skywalker. Listen carefully. In the next five seconds, MOVE!" I dive away and hear two lightsabers clashing.

"Son of a nerf herder, you look awful. What happened to your nose?" My sister teases.

"Brain Worm tried getting in, I said no, we had a disagreement and it fought when I kicked it out." I comm Rex. "So...now where do you want us?" I ask, still breathing heavily from the fight.

"In one piece and back with us."

§ § §

"General, General Skywalker, come in!" Rex growls over his comm. No reply. "He's been out of communication for an hour." The Captain frets.

"I can take care of that." Spitfire volunteers.

"Not alone." Rex shakes his head.

"I'm not letting her out of my sight with Opress around. I'll go with her, sir." I offer.

"You two be careful." He says.

"Don't worry, this'll be cloak and dagger stuff. We'll be fine." My sister replies.

"Tail." I prompt.

"Until you get back, ma'am." He finishes. I nod.

"Spitfire, let's move." We run side by side back towards the place where Anakin was fighting Savage. It takes a while since we've been progressing towards a droid factory and left the place far behind. When we finally get there, we're met with an empty clearing.

"Drag marks. The General was knocked out and taken prisoner." My sister says. I look them over.

"We can't call Rex. If they're listening to our communications, they'll know we're coming for Skywalker." She nods.

"What are we waiting for, then? Better hurry before our last drink of water runs it's course." I recall the two small gulps of warm water I'd gotten from a canteen during a lull in the fighting.

"Yeah, let's go." We carefully follow the tracks, staying behind rocks as often as possible. Futile, but habit. After a while, I wince in sympathy for our General. Being dragged this far in hot dust and sand would be painful.

"You're limping." Fire points out.

"Ignore it." I answer gruffly.

"Are you alright?"

"Great. How are you faring?"

"Fine." Her reply is tight.

"What's wrong?" I murmur.

"Nothing! I said I was fine." I don't bother her about it. Instead, I pick up our pace. When I slow down I give the pain a chance to attack. If I keep moving, quickly, it has to wait. I realize we're nearing a large cluster of joined stone towers.

"Now to find a discreet way in." I mutter. "Split up. Let's do this quickly."

§ § §

"I blame you for this." Spitfire grumbles.

"Says the ninja." I retort.

"I was perfectly stealthy. Would've been fine if you hadn't gotten caught."

"Terribly sorry I can't turn invisible. I'll be sure to work on that as soon as we get out of here."

"_If_ we get out of here! We're chained up inside a kriffing bug nest!" She snaps.

"They're just bug droids. The fekking B1s were modelled off of Geos. We both have experience with getting out."

"Torture?" She mouths. I nod and lean against the wall. We both know the best time for escape. I whistle Vode An leisurely. Our gauntlets are missing. Our scars are visible since we had worn short-sleeved tops.

Soon, we sit still in silence, brooding over the plan. When we're finally moved, it's by three Geonosians. I break the neck of the one behind me suddenly, using the body as a shield. Spitfire kills the one in front of her and we use their guns to end the the third.

"Pff, _if_." I mutter as I look around.

"Let's find Skywalker and get out of here. Opress could still be around." I nod in agreement.

"There aren't any vents. Meaning, we'll have to kill on sight. Now, let's find our gauntlets."

§ § §

"Your fault this time." I mumble as a Geonosian secures my chains. He hit my head pretty hard.

"Whatever." She grumbles. Two guards take up positions on either side of the door within our room. The other five walk outside.

"You know it's almost comedic how many bugs it took to subdue a couple of kids, right?" I chuckle.

"Yeah. But then, we aren't your average, run-of-the-mill younglings."

"D'haynna, no. That would be boring. Pity you can't speak Mando'a yet. Even if most of these cockroaches don't speak Basic, it's fun talking in a second language."

"I can imagine. You, however, should be learning more Twi'leki than Mando'a."

"I've been studying it. I've just been a little busy lately."

"Getting us caught?"

"I thought we settled on 'even'."

"We settled on 'whatever'." One of the guards says something and hefts his gun for emphasis. The message to shut up is clear.

* * *

_A.N. ~ the next chapter will be up within 48 hours. Ciao!_


	16. On The Mend

The door opens. I don't look up, though. It's probably just our third beating.

"You look terrible." My head straightens at the voice of a clone.

"Captain! Looks worse than it feels." I'm lying, of course.

"Ugh, tell me this isn't an hallucination." Spitfire groans.

"It's not. You don't hallucinate real people you've never met before." I respond. A medic hurries in, followed by Klairen Ghynna and a limping Anakin Skywalker. "Generals." I greet. I try sitting straighter and gasp, stooping when my ribs begin sharply aching. The medic looks over Spitfire first.

"Fractured ulna and multiple bruised ribs." He moves on to me. I lose a short cry of pain when he presses on my lower chest. "Broken and bruised ribs." The medic finishes. The Jedi cut us lose. The medic helps Spitfire up and Keeli supports me.

"What are you two doing here?" Skywalker asks once we're standing.

"We came looking for you per Captain Rex's orders, sir." I reply, hugging myself with one arm. We exit the room. The hallway is filled with more clones marked with dusty red paint. I notice Ticks, along with a few of his gang and a couple of the original 501st transfers. A trooper with unfamiliar markings takes me from Keeli.

"Hi, Twitch." He greets. It takes me a moment to remember his tone.

"Hi. Pick a name yet?" Shiny nods.

"Gundi."

§ § §

"So, this is your sister?" Gundi asks. We're at a makeshift camp and resting for now.

"Yeah. Spitfire, Gundi." I answer as they nod to each other.

"How'd you two meet?" Fire murmurs.

"Krovell. She had a broken arm and my legs were crushed from a cave in. Later, we were both transferred to the 659th." Of course, we had stopped to grab our weapons from the Geos when Ghynna and Keeli got us out.

I press a thumb against my healing rib. Just to remind myself it's there and not critical.

"Incoming!" I instinctively drop to the ground while unsheathing my blades. A loud explosion goes off. The night sky lights up with green and blue. I flip onto my back and take a few shots at a Geonosian's silhouette.

"I hate bugs." Spitfire mutters.

"Could be worse. They could've been huge spiders." I point out.

"Eight legs and venom to worry about. You're right." She agrees. Gundi begins shooting with his rotary cannon. I keep laser bolts from hitting him as I myself shoot. I grab for a grenade, but I don't have my pouch.

"Twitch, quick, give me a boost!" Spitfire orders. I cup my hands and she runs at me. I push straight up when her foot lands in my hand. She grabs a Geonosian and piggybacks him, shooting from her new position.

"Looks like fun. Gotta try that some time." I murmur to myself. My rib spasms and I remember I'm not in the best condition for stunts.

"Definitely sisters." Gundi mutters.

"Yep. All you have to do is listen to us fight."

"I take it her name is justified."

"Oh, yeah. She almost killed Chopper a few times. Just when those two slow down, Adenn joins the squad and the arguing starts all over again."

"Which squad are you in?" He grunts.

"Pyro Squad."

"And who's your sergeant?" I shuffle a little.

"Um, Sergeant Twitch, reporting for duty." I say.

"You're joking." He scoffs.

"No. I just hope I have a squad to lead by the end of this." He glances at me, probably curious about the strange tone that had entered my voice,

"You've lost men?"

"Nearly half the squad. A kriffin' Shaliz'Na Infected got in our gunship." I angrily shoot down several Geos, frustrated at my failure to protect my men.

"You did your best to save them." The heavy gunner states.

"What makes you say that?" He chuckles, much to my growing irritation.

"You go to any lengths necessary to protect your men, wether you're in charge or not. Remember what happened on Lego?"

"Sorry about that."

"You're apologizing for snapping us out of our daydreams?"

"I'm apologizing for the _way_ I did it." I reply. I hear a thunk and Spitfire staggers to her feet beside me.

"Owww. That was a bad idea." She groans.

"Oh, going up was a smart move. How you got down is a completely different matter." I say cheerfully.

"I was referring mostly to my fractured arm, but that, too." I notice she's only shooting with her right hand.

"Take my right." I decide. She does so and I stand at Gundi's right, forming a triangle.

§ § §

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is a Kaminoan.

"Kriff!" I grunt while trying to sit up. My body courses with pain and I fall back with a loud few choice words. My hand reaches for my gun, but I'm unarmed.

"Relax. You are very injured and being transported to Kaliida Shoals Medical Centre." This is a female Kaminoan, shown by the lack of a headcrest.

"What happened?"

"I am not sure of the specifics."

"Alright, then how badly am I injured?" I don't want to be on a table with a Kaminoan standing over me. I had enough of that when I was eleven and younger.

"Snapped clavicle, multiple broken ribs, concussion, bruised and fractured bones, and some internal bleeding." No wonder I'm having trouble breathing.

"Haar'chak, not another concussion." I mutter. The Kaminoan begins tampering with whatever is hooked up to me and I freeze, watching her closely. "What are you doing?" I fret.

"You should not have awoken. I am readjusting the flow of your anesthetics."

"That's fine. I'm alright with being conscious." I'm lying through my teeth. I'm starting to feel all my breaks and bruises. Ignoring my protest, the tall woman quickly finishes and I slip back into a void.

§ § §

I'm in a bacta tank, drifting in the healing gel with a breathing mask on. A patient gown covers my body. It feels nice to just float around, but though my body is here in Kaliida Shoals, my mind is on a Geonosis. On my squad and brothers.

Whatever hurt me, did it get Spitfire and Gundi, too? Fighting back-to-back with them is the last thing I remember. What about Fives and Echo? Those two could be dead, for all I know.

Splinter may be dead and I never even greeted him once since the GAR disassembled. There are so many brothers I don't want to lose. I open my eyes and see a Kaminoan standing in front of my tank, staring at me. Her black eyes look me over and I shy away.

"I believe your name is Twitch?" She asks. I'm tempted to close my eyes and ignore her, but angering anyone in my current state isn't advisable. So I nod before she looks over her shoulder, head swaying gracefully. "And you are a clone?" Usually, I don't mind if someone finds out. But Kaminoans are exceptions.

I slowly nod again, quietly begging her not to send me back to Kamino. "Trained and sent from Kamino to fight?" I shake my head nervously. I would absolutely love to be back on Geonosis, getting shot at and fighting with deadly Sith, but I'm stuck in a tank, completely at the mercy of a Kaminoan.

When she doesn't say anything for five minutes, I feel a terrified look crossing my face.

_No, don't show fear. I can't show fear. _

The Kaminoan starts to walk away, pausing long enough to say one last thing. "Then you do not exist."

§ § §

_You do not exist_ as in, _we will kill yo_u, or, _you do not exist_ as in, _you are safe_? If they were going to kill me, it would have happened by now, since roughly a day has passed. But am I really safe? Yet another thing to add to my list of worries.

I've only closed my eyes to sleep ever since the white Kaminoan had visited. I noticed that the bacta tanks around me are empty. I'm completely alone. I shuffle around occasional to see how I'm healing. I'm guessing I still have a while.

I recall when I'd woken up on the Resolute after being shot on Ryloth. Six-Dot said a genetic anomaly in my DNA causes bacta to work less effectively on me. I hope whoever is in charge knows that.

I see two men coming toward my tank. One is limping and the other has an arm in a sling. I don't know who they are, since their faces are distorted by the bacta, but I know they're clones. The limping one waves, copied by the clone in the sling. I wave back.

"Hey, Sarge. You look awful." One says. I try shrugging and give up. You can't shrug with a broken clavicle. Instead I smile and squint in an effort to see which of my squad are outside.

"It's Wing and Kal, Sarge." Kal says. I should've recognized Wing's tone. If they ended up here, where's the rest of the squad? My amusement at Kal's use of my title is replaced by worry. I'm starting to wish I knew hand signals so I could communicate with them.

"So, you have another week and a half in here. Get comfy." Wing says. I hang my head back and swallow a groan. I look back and see them smiling.

"On the bright side, you have us for company." Kal picks up, finishing the other trooper's part.

§ § §

Kal and Wing make good, hilarious company. I often end up silently laughing hard enough to not breath. It really hurts, but I still find myself doing it. I'm about to start laughing at their antics again when the black-eyed Kaminoan approaches my tank.

I freeze, trying not to go wide-eyed at the approaching long-neck. My squad members snap to attention. The Kaminoan checks a computer before leaving.

"You almost looked scared." Kal comments. I tilt my head and glare. Wing elbows his brother, getting a shove in return. Wing gets Kal in a head lock and they continue to wrestle each other, somehow avoiding further injury or aggravating the ones they already have. I smile as they keep fighting good-naturedly. I'm so ready to get out of this tank. Except the part where I'm still badly hurt.

§ § §

I'm helped out of the tank by both of my squad members. Honestly the process is more like me trying to be useful while they hoisted me out as if I am a rag doll. I'm delighted to see they have my usual black garments ready.

I notice that their eyes avoid my arms and legs, mainly staying on my face. They turn their backs while I change. They were considerate enough to have gotten long sleeves, too.

"Our transport comes in two hours. I take it you're hungry?" Wing says.

"Yeah. How's the rest of the squad?" I reply.

"Alive and kicking, last I saw them. What about Spitfire?" Kal answers.

"I don't know. I don't even remember what hit me so hard. Probably memory loss from the concussion."

"Just a kid..." Kal murmurs.

"Judge her after a sparring match. She's a very dangerous kid." Wing retorts. I stretch, testing each of my muscles and bones. I'm sore, still hurting from a few injuries, but I could handle a battle.

As we walk down the hallways, we have to part as several repulsor gurneys are rushed past. The first couple of troopers I don't recognize, but the third in line, I know.

"Hardcase..." I gulp. His chest is a bloody mess. A couple more clones go by and the real blow comes. I barely keep myself from calling Tail's name and rushing to his side. He looks...bad. That's the only word that comes to mind. Bad, bad, bad. Wing looks shaken, too. Even Kal seems upset.

"Anyone still hungry?" He eventually mumbles. I shake my head while Wing mutters a negative. I lean against the wall and chew my lip. I'm no medic, but I know Tail is going to need a miracle to pull through. It's amazing he made it all the way here.

"There she is!" I look to our left and see a tall male Kaminoan with coco-brown skin marked with white pointing at me. Several armoured clones are beside him. "Seize her!" He orders.

"Ohh, kriff." I mutter. The three clones advance on me.

"I've got your back, Sarge." Wing murmurs.

"We both do." Kal agrees.

"Thanks, guys, but this might be a bit more of a flight and fight scenario. Splitting them up and taking them down on the move." I reply. Still, a warm feeling in my stomach that they would back me up in a fight without hesitation blooms.

"You sure?" Wing checks.

"I'm used to fighting larger people. Trust me. Besides, I don't want you two in trouble. I'll meet you at our pick up." They nod and I take off down the hallway. I hear the armoured clones pursuing.

Around a bend, I stop and trip the first troop who rounds the corner, kneeing his head on his way down. Then I run farther, past a few medical staff.

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

Administrator Nala Se and Commander Cody walked side by side. The Commander had been in a bacta tank for three days and was taking the next transport off the station. He was fully armoured and discussing the recovery of his troops.

"I assure you, they will be cared for and returned in optimal health." The Kaminoan was saying.

"Thank you, ma'am." He replied crisply, playing the perfect soldier in her presence.

"Stop that kid!"

"I got her! Ow!"

"Watch out!" They were at the base of three steps. A railing down the middle tall enough for the use of Kaminoans and a bar a couple feet lower for clones running down the middle.

A young girl came at a slow jog around a corner. An armoured clone dashed after her and she suddenly accelerated, grabbing onto the area between the two bars on the railing and swinging sideways, in between the metal, and hitting the trooper who had slid past in the back with both her feet. He tumbled down the steps. The girl, recognizable as Twitch by Cody, stood tall. She caught sight of the two.

"Hi, Commander. Great day for a run, hmm?" Another armoured soldier tackled her. She flipped them so she was on bottom with her back colliding with the floor. Cody winced at the crash.

For a second, the Commander and Administrator didn't understand her reasoning until Twitch's right foot shoved the clone over her head, using momentum to toss him off. He landed on his back and it was a race to see which of the two could regain their breath first.

The trooper did, but just as he started lifting Twitch by her arms, she swung her leg up, relying on his grip to balance her while she landed a hard blow to his head. He dropped her and she got to her feet, gasping air and holding a hand to her clavicle where it had been broken.

The third soldier tried grabbing her and she dropped into a bridge, bringing up her knee into his stomach before pulling herself up using his arm and slamming him against the wall with enough force to cause a loud bang.

"Twitch, what's going on?" Cody asked while pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew no regular trooper would take her down.

"Why don't you ask _her_? I'm minding my own business and then the three-man-cavalry is trying to catch me. Per a _Kaminoan's_ orders." She was seething at the attack, furious her own brothers were fighting her.

Several medics came and tried grabbing her all at once. She quickly dealt with them, parrying, dodging, and using her opponent's size against them. Another loud thump came from her final, dazed assailant as she pinned him against a wall.

"Did you catch the girl?" The brown Kaminoan came around the corner.

"The girl caught them. Start running, long-neck." Twitch growled.

"Tol Vuu, what are you doing?" Nala Se asked calmly.

"Apprehending the female unit." He replied. "Something you should be doing, Madame Administrator." Cody's eyes narrowed and Twitch tightened her grip on the sore trooper.

"Over my dead body." The young sergeant hissed. A couple medics hurried around the corner.

"Twitch, you may release the trooper. No one is to attempt capture." Nala ordered. It took a few moments for the child to obey, still wary of the Kaminoan.

"What? It is to be returned to Kamino! Ko Sai ordered it." Tol Vuu spluttered. Cody noticed Twitch's jaw tightening. She was dangerously close to hurting Vuu.

"I have been speaking with the Chancellor and Jedi Council. Ko Sai is no longer the Chief Scientist. Her orders have no power." Kaminoans rarely showed expression, but Twitch knew that slight widening of the eyes and glittering emotion in them. He was surprised and afraid and she knew it.

"Commander, we—uh..." Another armoured trooper, this one highlighted with yellow, just like the Commander, paused to look at the moaning men as he walked up. Twitch shrugged and leaned against a wall to rest her leg.

The new arrival was wondering what had happened. Neither Kaminoans would have been able to do what he saw, the Commander was breathing normally and clearly hadn't been in a fight, and the only other person present besides himself was the young girl.

"Go ahead, Boil." Twitch's eyes widened and she looked down, chewing the inside of her cheek. She used her shoulder blades to push off the wall before walking past Tol Vuu and toward the docking bay.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I wish I could stay until Tail is healed, but I can't just drop my responsibilities. And finding out Boil will be on out transport doesn't help. I got my gauntlets and we all retrieved our guns, now we're waiting for the transport, sitting on some crates off to the side.

"You have arm-blades, right?" Kal eventually asks. In response, I unsheathe them. His eyes light up as he looks them over carefully. I take the left one off and hand it to him. He removes his glove and feels the edge with his thumb.

"What're they made of?" He murmurs.

"Phrik." I answer. He looks over the blue markings before giving the weapon back. I put it on and roll my shoulders boredly. The appearance of our transport catches my attention.

"We'll get Fri—ah, Dodge to hack in and see how Tail's doing later." Says Wing as we get up and walk to the transport. We're all adjusting to the loss of our squad mates.

"Dodge isn't much of a hacker." Kal shrugs.

"Hmm. Spitfire mentioned intel gathering. I'll see if that involved computers." I comment. Cody and Boil meet us at the docking ramp of the ship. We salute before boarding. Naboo isn't too far off, but I get the feeling this'll be a long ride.

* * *

_A.N. ~ the next chapter will be up ASAP. Oh, and I found out that cleaning a pool is a _huge_ pain in the shebs. HUGE!_


	17. Wrong

To my surprise, we land near Theed instead of being dropped off on our respective Star Destroyers. I raise an eyebrow as we walk outside. Senator Amadala, followed by General Skywalker, walk over.

"Cody, Boil, go find Obi-Wan. He'll explain." Anakin orders. A hop, skip and couple of salutes later, the 212th men are gone.

"Sir?" I ask.

"Charity. Troops are helping out. Find the rest of Pyro Squad." Anakin half explains.

§ § §

"Serving civilians so they'll pay us money? This'll be interesting." I shrug.

"There are supposed to be a bunch of activities, too. We're in charge of fireworks once the sun goes down. Until then, waiter duty." Jax explains.

"Twitch, these are the dresses you and Spitfire get to wear. Aren't they lovely?" I take one look at the bright pink material and begin walking away. A hand grasping the collar of my shirt stops me.

"Don't let go. With any luck, I'll asphyxiate." I gurgle.

"Chopper! Let go!" Spitfire snarls.

"They aren't so bad." The senator smiles. I realize Rex is the one holding on to me.

"I'm not getting in that at gunpoint." Spitfire hisses.

"What she said." I growl. Rex jerks on my shirt collar. 'Not okay', is the clear message.

"They're just dresses." Padmé insists.

"Very bright dresses. A sniper could hit me halfway across the planet in that!" Fire protests.

"Well..." Jax mumbles.

"Alright, how about we get them in blue?" Amidala suggests. That improves it immensely, but still...

"But a dress is so...flimsy. What's so bad about how we're dressed right now?" Spitfire grumbles.

"Everyone is dressing up. It's only fair you do, too."

"What design would the dresses be?" I ask.

"I was thinking sleeveless showing your upper backs and going down to just below your ankles."

"No, no no no." Spitfire mutters, looking at the ground worriedly.

"Um, ma'am, may I have a word in private, please?" I murmur. Rex lets me go and we walk away from the others until an empty tent blocks their view.

"Twitch, I understand that you aren't used to dressing like a civilian, but it's only for a couple of days." I shake my head.

"That isn't my only reason, Senator." I remove my left gauntlet and pull up the sleeve, revealing the scars. I cover them again and put back on my weapon.

"Where else?"

"Back and legs. Spitfire has them, too." I mumble, staring at the ground.

"I see why you don't wear dresses."

"Besides the fact that they're impractical for fighting." I add, completely serious.

"How about long-sleeved dresses with high backs? Ones that cover your scars." She really won't drop this subject, will she?

"I...suppose that's a reasonable compromise. Spitfire might be a challenge, though. I'll have Cross standby with a trank." She chuckles and we walk back to the others.

§ § §

"I'm killing you for this." Spitfire mutters. We're both in 501st-blue dresses, serving small rolls to anyone who wants them.

"I was arguing with a senator. Did you really think I'd completely win?" I point out. "At least I got less exposing dresses in a better colour." I nearly collide with another server and realize its Wolffe.

"Commander." I greet.

"Twitch. Didn't see you as the dress-wearing kind."

"I didn't see you as the tux-wearing kind." I retort with a shrug. A jab from Spitfire reminds me she's still angry.

"Your sister?" He guesses.

"Yes, sir. This is Spitfire." She smiles in greeting, receiving a terse nod before Wolf Pack's leader walks away.

"So, what took me out back on Geonosis?" I stage whisper as we walk.

"You blocked a shot from a tank to save Gundi, grenade blasts did the rest. Gundi barely got you out of there." She replies.

"And Tail? He was in bad shape when I saw him back at Kaliida."

"Grenade blast and shot to his shoulder knocked him under a falling AT-TE." She answers. I swallow hard.

"Kriff..." I mumble.

"Mmm, me'sa loves little rollsies!" A Gungan takes a few from my platter, then some from Spitfire's. "You'sa two volunteers, right?" He asks.

"Um, no, we're soldiers." I answer. He chokes on one of the rolls and coughs it up.

"What! But you'sa just kids!"

"We bite, and we kick." My sister jokes, clacking her teeth together for emphasis.

"Otherwise, we shoot and cut." I finish.

"No, no, no, it ain't'a legal!" He protests.

"Commanders Tano and Offee seemed to be allowed." I point out.

"But they'sa are Jedi! They have Ani and Nara to keep 'em safe." I almost laugh at the nicknames. Spitfire snickers.

"The Generals would kill us for calling them that." I mutter.

"Don't worry, we keep ourselves safe. So does our squad, and vice versa." Fire assures.

"Me'sa asking Ani about this." And gone is the Gungan.

"Okay, he's annoying, but that was the funnies accent I've ever heard." Spitfire giggles.

"Me'sa don't know whats you'sa are a'talkin' about!" I mimic. We continue weaving through the crowd, chuckling at jokes.

I notice a dunk tank dangling Strings over the water. He's in a tuxedo like the other clones, but dripping wet. Little kids are throwing wooden balls at a target. A little girl hits it and the medic is dumped into the water. I grin and shake my head.

"Five credits say I could get him in with two shots at most." Spitfire bets.

"Who says either of us have credits? Though, even if I did, I wouldn't bet against that."

_Plunk, splash!_

_Poor Strings, _I think sympathetically.

I see a paintball course set up. Some troopers are helping with that. "Should've signed us up for that." I mutter.

"One clone team, one civilian team. Same victor, every time." Fire murmurs.

"Well, being trained for war from the moment you're able to walk might have something to do with it." I point out. We meet Fives and Echo somewhere in the crowd.

"Never thought I'd see the day." Fives teases.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd see you in a tux, either." I deflect.

§ § §

So, I've found that I really like fireworks. Simply preparing and setting them off is fun, not to mention running to safety and watching them go off. Plus, I'm back in my usual bodysuit. That's a blessing.

Another green and blue spray goes off. They really should have timed the sequence, though...

§ § §

NO P.O.V.

"That wasn't planned." Amidala murmured, watching as the fireworks came up in shimmering cascades.

"Chances are Twitch is improvising. She leads Pyro Squad for certain reasons." Anakin explained.

"She seems a bit young for a sergeant." The senator fretted.

"Ahsoka would resent that comment." The young Jedi was worried for his Padawan. She hadn't shown up yet, though he doubted she had been killed or infected. He could still distantly feel her in the Force.

"Still no word from her?" Padmé asked sympathetically.

"Ani! Me'sa been looking for you aaall day!" A Gungan ran up, clumsily tripping and falling in front of the Jedi and Senator.

"What is it, Jar Jar?" Skywalker asked, choking a tremor of amusement before it could enter his voice. Binks stood up and glared, looking disapproving and comical at the same time.

"You'sa are lettin' itty bitty kids fight ins the war?" Anakin groaned in frustration.

"Even if they weren't in the army, they would still fight. Better they're where we can keep an eye on them than off doing Force-knows what." He said. Now it was the Representative's turn to groan.

"But they'sa just kids!" He yelled, voice trilling in unusual ways.

"Relax. They're both teenagers going on their twenties. And likely to outlive us all judging by their track record." Jar Jar grabbed his ears with a frustrated growl.

"Why'sa am I the only one whos sees this is'a wro-ong?" He wailed before stalking off.

"He's not, but it's a choice between wrong and wronger." Skywalker murmured.

* * *

_A.N. ~ well, this is the shortest chapter of the entire story so far. The next chapter will be posted ASAP, though._


	18. Questions

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I'm not thrilled with the dress anymore than I'd been the first time, but hey, at least now I have another reason to be thankful I'm not a civvy.

Spitfire has attracted the attention of a girl around my age recently, who, to her annoyance, is following us like a lost puppy. I ignore her as I offer rolls, but my little sister keeps glancing back.

"Spitfire, calm down. You're going to have to get used to stares." I say.

"Shoot me. Just..." She trails off, looking once again at the girl. I sigh and turn to our stalker.

"Can we help you with anything?" I ask, hoping to put Spitfire's mind at ease.

"You're talking like one of them." The girl tilts her head towards a passing clone.

"They rub off on you after a while. Can we help you?" I repeat, offering my tray to a passing Rodian.

"Are you one of them?" She asks.

"We're soldiers, if that's what you're asking." I reply carefully.

"That's so messed up. I mean, you two can't hang out with anyone your age."

"Somehow, I find it ironic that we're older than the other soldiers." Spitfire jokes.

"Now, Spitfire, some of them _are_ actually older than you. Be nice. And for goodness' sake, don't throw it in Echo's face. He'll win in a fight."

"I highly doubt that."

"He beat me in a sparring match. You're not going to pull anything off with him, shiny." I warn. A hard punch to my shoulder almost knocks my tray out of my hands.

"You know I'm not a shiny."

"Sometimes you think like one. Would I have warned you about Echo if I thought you could handle him?" She grumbles. I notice the girl is still there.

"So, you don't mind?" She asks.

"If there were other people our age hanging around us, that would mean we'd be busy taking care of civilians during what would most likely be a Separatist attack. Somehow, I like being able to fight without dead weight." Spitfire replies.

"That's harsh. You don't think the other kids could help?"

"No, unless they happened to know how to use guns accurately." I answer wryly.

"Guess who!" Arms wrap around my shoulders and I start. The voice was slightly familiar.

"Um, someone who should let go in the next few seconds?" I suggest. He complies and I turn to face the man.

"Plyke! Tell me you don't have another doom-and-gloom warning again." I smile, pleased to see him.

"No, actually, I heard there were free refreshments and meals." He says while taking rolls off my tray.

"Of course. _I_ should have thought of that. Plyke, this is my sister, Spitfire." I introduce.

"Sister, huh? Didn't know you had one." He smiles warmly at Fire. She looks wearily back, but a small curve of her lips shows her acceptance of his presence.

"Sarge, this guy bothering you?" Kal and Wing appear from the crowd, towering over Plyke. The former had spoken, knowing I could handle it but still protective nonetheless, same probably could be said about Wing.

"No, Kal, it's fine. Plyke used to be my eyes and ears concerning the core planets." The demeanour of the two troopers instantly softens.

"'Sarge', huh? You wouldn't happen to have been promoted recently?" The homeless man asks. I shake my head.

"No, a while ago, actually.

"Thank the Force this is the last day we have to be dressed up. I'm going crazy." Wing dramatically tugs at his shirt collar.

"You think that's bad, try wearing a dress." Spitfire teases.

"Not at gun point." Kal says, stiffening and making a show of refusing an imaginary captor. I snicker. He keeps it up, Wing joining in until I can't stop laughing. Spitfire is trying to keep her tray steady as she chortles beside me.

"Oh, haha, guys, can't breathe. Please..." I beg, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Guys, we're...hehe, we—we're going to drop our trays. Sto-hop." Fire's voice tremors as she tries to hold down her amusement. To finish us off, Wing and Kal pull the most utterly ridiculous faces possible.

I'm desperately attempting to keep my voice quiet, but it's just so funny. Every time I almost calm down, I think of their faces or they pull more and I start all over again. Only when tears are rolling down out faces and we're doubled over, Plyke holding our trays for us, do they stop. I gasp for breath, still giggling. Spitfire gets control before me.

"Is she gonna die?" She asks, peering at me with shining eyes.

"Sarge, whatever you do, don't think of flying eopies." Wing says urgently. I burst out laughing again. They have mercy and finally let me get control, though my stomach muscles are aching in ways that are torturous.

"You've been talking to Tup, huh?" I ask, wiping away the tears of amusement and taking my tray back from Plyke. Most of the rolls are suspiciously missing.

"Just a little chitchat, ma'am. Can you breathe?" Wing asks. I nod.

"Yes, but for now my name isn't 'ma'am'."

"Yes, sir." Kal says.

"Ha, ha. Alright, back to serving pastries." I order. We split up, Plyke and the girl following us.

"I see you get along with your men well enough." He comments.

"Yeah, they make it hard to do anything but. Though, a few of them need reigning in." I nudge Spitfire.

"I only plan on killing Adenn a little bit!" She protests.

"He turns up dead in the morning, I'll know who to blame and who to assign larty clean up with a toothbrush." I threaten.

"Oh, you know it's just rough housing. Involving his head and the wall."

"And insulting Chopper after hacking his file which, by the way, you're grounded for."

"What?! You can't ground me! You aren't even my parent!"

"We've been over this, I'm your sergeant and older sister. Meaning I'm basically your mother. You can't go without a parent."

"You do!" She protests.

"Three names; Rex, Fives, and Kix. Trust me, they more than cover the parenting part."

"They don't parent you!"

"Thyey don't do it in public, genius. Can't have a sergeant look like she doesn't know what she's doing."

"And how are you raising me?"

"As the little ninja you are." I retort.

"Sisters. I'm seeing it now." Plyke teases.

"Should see us when there aren't a bunch of people around." Spitfire chuckles.

"What about a ninja?" The teenage girl asks. I'd forgotten she was there.

"Spitfire specializes in cloak and dagger stuff. So, I help her along, since I'm two years ahead of her on it." The last part was a good natured jibe.

"Bet you've never infiltrated Serenno before." She snipes. I stop short.

"Okay, I admit I never pulled that one off. How'd you do it?"

"Same way we always got on and off planets as rogues. Though, a few dead dock attendants may have shown up."

"Civilian casualties: not okay." I state.

"They had blasters...and used them. I merely beheaded in self defence."

"It's a wonder you don't need therapy yet."

"Says the 'two year superior'."

"I'm older. Therefore I've built up more of an immunity to death and injury." I sniff arrogantly, a teasing light in my eyes.

"Are you always going to try besting me?"

"I see it as motivation for you to try harder."

"You just wait 'til I hit five five." She threatens.

"You mean when I'll hit six feet? Logic, vod'ika." I coach.

"Someday, we'll both be six feet, then we'll see who's best." I smile at her determination.

"Someday."

§ § §

What better way to end off the fundraiser days than to interview the soldiers? At least I get to do it in my usual garments, and the male clones in all their armour.

I'd made it clear to Spitfire to avoid letting it slip about her origins, and to keep her arm-blades a secret. After one fight, our opponents would probably know about them, but trying to maintain the element of surprise is important.

She understood and I'm waiting for her interview to be completed. I'd happily skip this, but once again, Senator Amidala was there to make us do it. A woman with light blond hair approaches me.

"I'm your makeup artist. We only have fifteen minutes before your sister is done, so let's get to it!" She says cheerfully.

"Wait, makeup? Um, ma'am, I'm not wearing makeup."

"Not at gun point, as your sister said?"

"Basically, ma'am. We aren't big on looking pretty."

"Not even a little lipstick?" I shake my head stubbornly.

"I'm sorry, I know it's your job, but there are some things I just won't do." The woman looks crestfallen to the point of resembling a beaten puppy. "Hey, I'm sure you're going to be working with holostars before you know it." She brightens at this.

"Really? My boss doesn't think so."

"Well, your boss sounds like a..." I hear heavy footsteps behind me and see the makeup artist's expression. "Very nice person." I improvise smoothly.

"My goodness, have you been wasting time chatting again?" I turn to see a rather hefty man glaring at the makeup artist.

"No, sir. I refused makeup and she's been trying to convince me otherwise." I cover. The man looks down on me with a disdainful sneer.

"You won't even brush your hair?" He demands. My eyes raise in a futile attempt to see the subject of his dissent.

"I always wear it this way..." I say with a soft, innocent tone.

"Kid, you're up." A brown haired man with a couple days' growth on his face calls.

"I thought there were still ten minutes left on Spitfire's interview." I reply, puzzled.

"She...excused herself." The man explains. The makeup artist swoops in and messes with my hair as I walk before falling back as I walk in front of the waiting camera. A Twi'lek with orange skin is waiting in a fold up chair, an unoccupied seat to her left.

"Twitch, please sit." She says brightly while gesturing to the empty chair. I'm already reconsidering my decision to stick around instead of disappearing and apologizing to Rex later. I sit erectly and the hostess begins to speak.

"So, you're awfully young to be in the war effort. I take it Spitfire is your sister?" I nod mutely, realizing thousands of people could be watching this.

"Do you ever worry about her?" I steel myself and force a smile, swallowing hard enough to hurt my throat.

"Only when we aren't on the battlefield. She can get into worlds of trouble." The Twi'lek chuckles softly, reassuring me.

_Civvies like humour, Twitch. B__e funny, _I order myself.

"I see. And you're a sergeant?" I nod again, freezing up. "So, what's that like?" I lock eyes with hers, focusing on the dark brown. Brown like my brothers'. I can talk to those eyes.

"Depends wether we're fighting or off the battlefield."

"Mmmm, let's start with off the battlefield and work our way from there." I once again jerk my head in a nod.

"In the barracks we don't do much. Either sleeping, cleaning equipment, or," my lips twitch in amusement, "watching the holonet. There are gyms for exercise, from running laps to punching bags to sparring matches, and Mess Halls, obviously for eating." The Twi'lek nods.

"Interesting. Do the members of your squad ever fight with each other?" I almost laugh.

"With that many different personalities in one room, it's unavoidable. Rough housing is generally the worst of it, though there have been a few, ah...creative arguments."

"I see. Now, how did your squad get its name?" My expression turns wry.

"We specialize in explosives. Even worked out a system for whenever we have grenades on hand."

"And that brings us to what it's like leading them on a battlefield." I pause to think about it.

"Firefights are where any feuds or issues we have with each other stop and unconditional trust begins. No matter how much you may not like someone, letting them die is inexcusable. During fights, the sergeant and the squad mutually rely in each other. The squad trusts the sergeant to give the right orders and the sergeant trusts the squad to watch his or her back and carry out the orders immediately."

"Go on." The hostess nods gently. I suck in a nervous breath and continue.

"If a sergeant is severely injured or killed, the second will take command of the squad. A sergeant's second is the right hand man and most trusted of the squad. There's also sergeant's third, who assumes command if the second is unavailable. If he goes down, too, the remainders of the squad quickly decides on the new acting-sergeant." I take in a few deep breaths.

"And this continues until the battle is over or everyone in the squad is dead?" I nod once again. "What is it like emotionally during all the fighting?"

"As a sergeant or as a soldier?" She pauses to contemplate this.

"Let's start with soldier."

"Everything moves quickly. You're looking for another target as you shoot the one you'd been aiming at originally. It's act and react. Sometimes I can get so focused I stop hearing the blasting and screaming men. It's kind of startling how quickly someone can go down. You blink twice and the man next to you isn't shooting anymore. He's on the ground, dead or injured." I stop, perturbed. I've never had to describe the battlefield before. Usually, the people I'm with know because they've all been there.

"It sounds horrific." The Twi'lek puts a hand over her heart. "Have you ever killed a living being? I mean, the Separatists use droids, but..." I cringe at the question.

"The Umbaran local militia. They'd sided with the Separatists." She nods.

"And what is the battlefield like as a sergeant?" I take a few seconds to think about it.

"I don't know about the other sergeants, though I doubt I'm the only one who's first priority is making sure the squad survives the battle. At first I was worried about keeping track of seven men and a battle at the same time, but it's kind of like coordinating your right and left hands after the first couple times. This is also when a sergeant's second helps lead." I'm not sure how to continue, but the hostess has more questions.

"Interesting. How many troops are in your squad now?" I quickly tally them up in my head.

"Excluding myself, nine."

"That's quite a few. We're almost out of time, so let's get through these last questions, shall we?"

"At your pace, ma'am." I agree.

"What's your favourite part of being a sergeant?" This throws me into a long stretch of silence.

"I...guess it's seeing how the troops under me have each other's backs in anything from a simple argument to largely unfair odds. Even the three who fight with each other the most would call one-on-one for the other two if appropriate."

"That _is_ nice. Very touching. I hate to rain on a parade, but I have one or two more questions for you." I nod, glad I'd finally put into words, even if I only scratched the surface, something of my squad's loyalty.

"What's the worst part of being a sergeant?" My smile instantly drops and I become serious.

"When I loose men." I answer without thought. "When we're out fighting, I feel responsible for their well being. It's hard to put into words."

"You've lost men?" She asks. My jaw tightens and my body becomes rigid.

"Yes." Is my terse answer. Oblivious to my tension, the woman continues.

"I'm sorry to hear that. When did it happen?" I freeze up even more. Behind my eyes, I see Dinger's torn body, then Fritz's big, dark eyes as he asked me to kill him. Fritz had almost resembled a young child as he lay, whimpering from the maddening disease. "Twitch?" I blink and return to the present, the Twi'lek holding my hand.

"Um, once during the Clone War and then during the attacks on the Infecteds. I lost good men..." My right incisors nip at the inside of my cheek.

"That is terrible. How was your squad affected by the losses?" She should really drop this subject, but at least civvies fall for sob stories...

"Badly. Some of them wouldn't talk for hours."

"Twitch! Twitch, big problem!" Spitfire comes tearing onto the scene, her panicked calling barely giving us any warning. I bolt to my feet and grab her shoulders.

"Fire, calm down and tell me what's wrong." I order. She's trembling and...on the verge of tears?

"Tail...stasis tank...Kamino... Gotta do something!" She pants. I feel myself blanching.

"Osik! Okay, get the rest of the squad. Meet at our tents triple time." I tell her. She nods quickly before dashing off.

"Sergeant, what's going on?" The Twi'lek hostess asks.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. It's hard to explain." I say quickly before running toward our tents, leaving the dumbstruck civilians behind. As soon as everyone is present, I turn my attention to Spitfire. "Alright, explain in a little more detail, please."

"I was...okay, no time to make up a lie. I was eavesdropping on Skywalker as he talked to Nala Se, that white Kaminoan back at Kaliida, and they were discussing the recovery of troops from the 501st. Tail is going in a stasis tank back to Kamino." There are curses and murmurs from everyone.

"Okay, we all know what happens to anyone who goes into a stasis tank." Chopper mumbles.

"Over my dead body. Spitfire, we're gonna have to have a chat with General Skywalker. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to tell him about your extra circular activities."

"If it's that or Tail's life, do you think I care?" She challenges.

"What about us?" Jax asks.

"Right now our first step is talking to the General. Activity will come later. Wait until Skywalker has a decision."

"What decision?" I freeze, then turn to see Anakin with his arms crossed.

"The one that either saves or kills Tail." I reply bluntly.

"What do you mean? He's only going back to Kamino for advanced medical care."

_The lie continues, huh?_

"No, a _bacta _tankis advanced medical care. A _stasis_ tank is a death sentence." Adenn snaps. I raise a hand for him to stand down.

"I've had plenty of men go into stasis." Skywalker sighs.

"And how many have come back, sir? I doubt all of them _'didn't make it in time'_." I challenge.

"I've had some come back." He retorts.

"The lucky few that actually _did_ go for more medical care. Sir, trust me, the Kaminoans will kill Tail in his state." I warn.

"So, they've been lying to us all this time? That seems highly improbable."

"The Kaminoans lie? Who new?" Spitfire acts flabbergasted, making a big show of surprise.

"Spitfire—" I start to reprimand her, but she's on a roll and ignores me.

"I mean, it's not like they lied about the existence of female clones or anything. Oh, what about _'Twitch is off to ARC training'_? That sure ended well! How about the clones who get killed during live weapons fire training when they're eight? Bet you never heard about _that_ before."

"Spitfire!" I snap. "I'm letting this slide _once_ because of the circumstances. Don't speak unless told to until I say otherwise." She clamps her mouth shut, giving me a venomous glare.

"Is this all true?" Skywalker demands, looking at the squad.

"Regarding female clones and Twitch's ARC training, you know it is, General. The live weapons fire is also true." Jax answers.

"Alright, I've heard enough. I will talk to Administrator Se immediately." Skywalker turns on his heel and leaves before anyone can get a word out. After several long seconds of silence, Kal speaks.

"Wait, female clones?"

* * *

_A.N. ~ the next chapter will be posted ASAP. This is the sixth last chapter of 'The Lies Continue', but bridges shall be made, don't you worry._


	19. Blame

NO P.O.V.

That night, Twitch was tormented by nightmares. In every one of them, Tail either died or was seriously injured. Finally, Twitch woke up with a small gasp, rubbing her face with her hands.

She looked over the other occupants of the tent: Spitfire, Jax, Wing, and Chopper. They were all still asleep. The young sergeant quietly slipped outside, wandering away from the meadow to a steep hill overlooking a river. She sat with a sigh, watching the glittering water slowly move downstream.

"Hhhh, Tail, what do I do?" Twitch murmured to the corporal. "Your life is on the line and I'm stuck on this rock with nothing but my words to help you with. Even those only do so much. And Spitfire may have been the one who got Skywalker to listen. Maybe she's right and I've gone tame. Great help _I_ am that way."

Anakin Skywalker, having been kept up with the thoughts of all his men who had gone to Kamino to die, had seen Twitch leaving and followed her, curious. He now crouched in the long grass, disguised in the night by his dark tunic, listening to the young girl talk.

"Kriff, I should've been the one to point those things out. I'm such a coward. Because of my fekking age I was worried he'd demote me back to soldier. One of the reasons I didn't want that was because then I'd lose any chance to get you safe with words, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Haar'chak, I'm a pathetic sergeant. Dinger gets torn apart by a roggwart, Fritz, Decker, Shorty and Bark get turned into Infecteds and we have to kill them. Our brothers had to die by our own hands because I couldn't keep you guys safe." The hiding Jedi blinked in sympathy. Twitch's voice choked up and she sniffed.

"And now I'm crying like a kid civvy. Really helpful, Twitch, I'm sure tears are going to do galaxies of good. Reeeeaaaally helpful." Her voice broke and she started sobbing, shoulders vibrating as she mourned the injury and danger her friend suffered.

She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on one of the joints, hiding her face. "I'm sorry, Tail. D'haynna, I'm sorry." Twitch gasped, tears blurring her vision as she looked out at the river.

§ § §

TWITCH'S P.O.V.

I cough as I try to control the tears, standing and walking down to the river. The sound of moving water soothes me, but it still takes a while to calm down. I walk downriver until I'm at a copse of trees. I sit down again and sigh.

"Hey, kid." A low, raspy voice greets as forearm wraps around my neck. I grab it, but in my position, I can't get the man off. "Miss me?"

§ § §

This is not the worst headache of my life, but it's still a crappy one. Something must've hit me in the head to put me out. As my eyes open, I see that I'm surrounded by grey, run down buildings.

"Okay, someone's going to want to explain in the next thirty seconds." I mutter to myself as I explore the rope holding my hands behind my back with my fingers. The ropes on my wrists where my arm-blades can't reach. Oh, well. Someone is going to have a nasty surprise soon.

"Ah, good, you're awake. I have to admit, I thought you'd come to faster." A man walks out of an alleyway and I study his scarred face.

"Hi, Jeph. You know, I kind of have a war to fight and a squad to lead, so can we do this quickly? What do you want?" He chuckles, kneeling in front of me and running a finger down my cheek. I shy away from the contact.

"Vengeance. You and your friend ruined our plans, so now you're going to pay." I snicker, then chuckle, then go on to laughter. My shoulders spasm as my amusement presents itself.

"Oh, do your worst. You're going to have to go up against the best of Dooku's toys. Somehow I don't think your fists are gonna make me suffer." I say, smiling.

"Oh, we'll see. You know, we did work out your greatest concern lately. For example..." He signals and two men come dragging a limp clone in nothing but his body suit. I look for anything to distinguish him as someone I know, but I've got nothing.

"So you grabbed the nearest trooper and hoped I knew him? Great plan, genius." I roll my eyes, pretending to be disinterested as the bound man is thrown to the ground.

"You care. You'd die for the clone next to you wether you knew him or not!" Jeph argues.

"If it meant the guy next to me would live long enough to shoot another droid, so be it." I shrug.

"You're cold." The clone mumbles.

"And you're an idiot for not pretending to still be unconscious." I retort. One of the two guards uses his feet to roll the clone onto his back.

"Well, well, look who's joined the party." Jeph says while squatting over the trooper.

"So, you've got us both. Do you plan on having us build you a time machine, or apologize for being sure you didn't massacre a city?" I growl.

"They treat us like dirt! Because life didn't go our way, they hate us."

"And of course, the only solution to that is to kill some people who've never met you. How about any kids who got caught in the crossfire? Did they treat you badly? I'm sure babies put you out on the streets."

"You're a sharp tongued one. Hit the clone four times." I cringe as the trooper is kicked four times in the ribs.

"For every sentence you speak, he will be hit be one more time." Jeph dictates. I nearly protest, but bite my tongue and sigh.

"Kid, what'd you do to make these guys so angry?" The clone asks.

"I'll tell you what she did. She took away my chance to avenge my dead family and a lot of other people's chances for their own reasons." Jeph snarls. My mouth opens, but a vowel sound is all I let slip. The clone is punched in the head.

"He wasn't even on planet! Take it out on me!" I shout. Two more blows to the clone and I angrily clench my teeth.

"Why should I? The people who have homes take things out on all of us instead of just the ones who do bad things." I really wish I could argue with him, but I can't risk the other clone being hurt.

"Heh, give him a piece of your mind, kid. I can take it." The trooper says. He smiles at me and I turn my attention back to Jeph.

"I won't argue that they were right, Jeph." I say. A guard prepares a blow, but the homeless ringleader raises a halting hand. "They shouldn't have blamed all of you for the actions of a small percentage of the needy. That's like blaming an entire species for the actions of a few rebels." For example, how I hate every Trandoshan in existence. "I'm sorry that happened to you, and this is an issue that needs to be confronted. By now I'd help you give some senators a few things to think about...verbally. Jeph, I speak from experience when I say words win battles sometimes. Sometimes, you can bring as many tanks, as many heavy gunners, as many bombs as you want, you won't beat things into people's heads. Their skulls are too thick for that. That's why you need to give them an idea; plant a seed, and let it become _their_ idea. Stroke their kriffing egos and stop knocking on skulls." A guard nudges—_nudges_ the clone as a reminder for me to hold my tongue, but at least he wasn't hurt.

"Manipulation much, short stuff?" Jeph teases.

"Maybe, but it's better than declaring war when you don't have the means to hold your own against the opposing side."

"You mean the enemy?" He challenges.

"Sometimes the two are the same thing, but there are fine lines."

"You think we didn't try talking at first? Nobody listens." Jeph looks discouraged.

"The talking needs to reach the right ears. And those ears need to hear at the right time and place."

"I'll think about it. Tie them down." A spare rope fastens me to a pipe sticking out of the concrete in an arc seeming to exist for the sole purpose of being tied to. The clone is bound on the other side of the dirty intersection of the four alleyways. Jeph and the guards disappear and we're left alone.

"Not the piece of mind I was expecting, but at least it worked." The clone calls brightly.

"Twenty six led soldiers. Got a name?" I reply.

"Ajax. You?"

"Twitch. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Cadets pack better punches." He jokes in Mando'a. "You have no idea what I just said, huh?" Ajax returns to Basic.

"You'd be surprised." I take up the Mando language.

"So, care to explain what happened?" He joins me in the ancient dialect.

"Jeph and a band of not-so-well-off people planted bombs throughout the entire city. I'd gotten a tip the lowlifes were up to something and came to check it out with another trooper. We found out about the bombs, told generals Kenobi and Skywalker, bomb squads saved the city. Guess it's a good thing they didn't catch the guy I was with, too." He smirks and I realize that must have sounded pretty bad. "Not that them catching you was any better." I add hastily.

"You seem pretty calm about being kidnapped." He smiles again, eyes warm.

"Far from the first time. Mind if we stay long enough to hear Jeph's decision? If you want to leave now, I won't have any problem with it." He blinks slowly.

"You're missing that we're tied down."

"Like that ever stops me. So, stay or leave?" He shrugs.

"Might as well see if you can talk them down. Though, you owe me a drink when this is over." I smile.

"Deal."

"So, why did Jeph say you'd die for the clone next to you?" Pastime chitchat. Always an issue.

"Statement of fact." I duck my head and study the ground.

"Because?"

"You'll figure it out. It'd be cheating to tell you." I give an impish smile and he frowns.

"Couldn't make it too easy, huh? So, you said you came here with another trooper to uncover the bombs. I take it you aren't an average civvy?" I shake my head.

"Soldier, like you."

"One of Kenobi's bunch? Sound like a negotiator." I nearly laugh again.

"I'm not, usually. Nah, I'm one of Skywalker's. What about you? Seem like the Wolf Pack kind." He beams at the idea.

"Actually, I'm in the 659th."

"Captain Keeli, huh? Say hi to Gundi for me once we get out of this mess."

"The dead Jedi?" He seems confused.

"Um, no, the trooper. So that's where he got his nickname." It isn't a rarity for troopers to take up names in honour or remembrance of someone. Gundi chose well.

"I'll pass it on."

"Great, thanks." I trail off and look to the darkening sky. Somewhere up there, Tail is probably being loaded into either a stasis or bacta tank. I do not idly threat when I say heads will roll if it's the former.

"You look worried." Ajax comments.

"Won't lie; I am. One of my squad is at Kaliida Medical. Might be going into a stasis tank. Anything happens to him and it'll be on Se's head."

"Friend of yours?"

"It could be Ticks up there and I'd still be making death threats...but yeah, he's a friend."

"I'll pretend I know who Ticks is."

"He's in the 659th, too. We...didn't get along all the time."

"Ah, fun. I'm still curious why you care about clones so much."

"Just use your eyes and you'll get it." He frowns at my discretion.

* * *

_A.N. ~ next chapter ASAP. _


	20. Family

_A.N. ~ hey, just making a note that from here on out, I'm writing in 3rd person. It's just more flexible than 1st person, you know? So...yeah, 3rd person, write a protest or an agreement as a review and I'll tally up the score, then decide wether to continue as I have since the beginning or take a new perspective (literally). Oh, and this is the fourth final chapter of 'The Lies Continue'._

* * *

NO P.O.V.

Twitch waited nervously well into the night before falling into a light sleep. She was woken repeatedly by small noises. By dawn, she had a headache from sleep deprivation. Ajax had slept better, but his body ached, especially when he breathed. As the sore trooper sat up, he caught the girl's attention.

"Are you alright?" Twitch asked in Mando'a.

"Fine. What about you?" He spoke in kind.

"Twitchy. I wish he'd hurry up with that answer." She had a squad to care for along with another member to protect. She could only hope Spitfire and the rest of her men were alright and working on keeping Tail safe.

"Yeah, I don't feel like being here if he has another fit." The young sergeant rolled her shoulders, stretching stiff muscles.

"I could always start yelling 'til he comes, but that might get him angry." She offered.

"We better just wait." Ajax decided.

§ § §

"Well now, short stuff, I've made a decision." Jeph said, two guards flanking him.

"I'm all ears." Twitch nodded. One of the guards took out a gun and pointed it at Ajax.

"You can't be trusted." The ringleader concluded. Twitch became very still, preparing to cut the rope anchoring her to the ground.

"And what made you decide that?" She asked carefully, unsheathing and sawing through the rope subtly with her blades.

"How trustworthy were you last time?"

"Will I be able to defend myself without getting him killed?" She countered.

"Speak carefully."

"Last time, I had no quarrel with you or anyone else. Only with your plan to use bombs. I'd only been thinking about saving lives. I'd assumed it was only resentment motivating your actions. Now I know I was wrong." The rope broke, but Twitch remained where she was, hoping she wouldn't have to use force to resolve the problem.

"Last time? So you have a quarrel now?"

"With the gun pointing at the man who hadn't even known about what happened until yesterday."

"Like I said; why should I show mercy when they didn't?" Jeph flicked his head toward the better part of Theed.

"Because then you'd be no better than them. Of course, you've probably had that card played to you before. So go ahead. Stoop to the level Naboo's government has." Twitch dared, tensing. The man hesitated, so she pressed on. "I'm sure the _'killing him won't make the past change'_ speech has also crossed your mind, so I'll save my breath. And I've already tried the _'there's another way'_ solution with you, so really, what do you expect me to do now?" Jeph looked her in the eye.

"Beg. Beg for your friend's life, just as I begged for my little girl to not die." A note of pain was in his tone and Twitch's heart wrenched.

"Please, don't kill him. I beg you, take it out on the ones responsible, but please, not innocents." Her voice was heartfelt, and her expression softened. Ajax hadn't seen Twitch as the begging type. He knew he should feel thankful she was willing to beg on his behalf, but right then he was focused on the scene, so much that his emotions were numb.

"Fine, then." Jeph signalled once again. The woman holding the gun quickly brought up her arm and fired a shot into Twitch's lower abdomen. The young girl fell back with a short scream of surprise and pain.

"No!" Ajax yelped while trying to stand. The rope snapped taught and he slipped, landing on his side. The bindings around his wrists were untied. He looked up in surprise at the second guard.

"Take her and leave. Don't come back unless you want to die." Jeph ordered.

"Hey, her rope was cut." The woman called, bending over Twitch.

"Doesn't matter. Get out." The ringleader turned his back and started walking. Ajax stumbled over to Twitch and threw her over his shoulder before running into the nearest alleyway. He didn't know where he was or how to help. He was no medic. A whimper from Twitch reminded him she was alive.

"Kriff, kid, which way?" He muttered, mostly to himself.

"Ruby District, mansion with grey roof shaped as three triangles. Doctor. He'll know me." The girl hissed, gasping as her torso spasmed.

"I don't know where Ruby District is!" Ajax said while clearing the maze of alleys and entering a commoner square. His heart skipped a beat when there was no reply. "Twitch? Twitch!" He growled, putting her down.

The sergeant's pulse was erratic, but didn't stop. She was out cold as blood dripped from the wound. He wished for his helmet, with his HUD's data stream. For that matter, he missed all of his armour. He felt far too exposed and vulnerable out of it. Ajax shook off his discomfort and ran to the nearest person; a Gungan woman. She gasped at the blood soaking his shoulder.

"Ma'am, can you give me directions to Ruby District?" He asked.

"Y—you'sa... Are..." She stuttered, backing away. Ajax scowled and grabbed Twitch again, unsure wether there were any hostiles within the crowd. He spotted a man and tried him.

"Sir, this girl is very sick. I need directions to Ruby District." His voice was much firmer this time.

"Sick? Looks more like shot. Follow me."

§ § §

Ajax knocked on the large door. It was finely crafted, with polished wood and intricate vine carvings. A heavily pregnant woman answered, eyes widening at the sight.

"Ma'am, please, is a doctor here? Twitch said she knew you before she passed out." Ajax asked.

"Who's 'Twitch'?" In response, the soldier angled Twitch so her face was in plain view of the woman. After a moment of studying her, the woman's eyes widened.

"Bring her in. I'll call my husband."

§ § §

Twitch didn't feel like waking up. She knew once she woke up she'd have to deal with the pain of her injury, and she'd rather stay asleep than do that. Unfortunately for her, she had no choice in the matter.

Her eyes blinked open and squinted at the bright light. She was lying in a very soft, comfortable bed with an open window behind her. Golden light filled the room, casting gentle shadows. It was peaceful and quiet.

The usual comfort of morning sleepiness fogged her mind, giving everything a dreamy, surreal feeling. She tried rolling on to her side to get comfortable and pain shot through her body. Her eyes opened all the way and she sat straight up.

The room was no longer beautiful. To her newly awakened senses, it was threateningly silent, suspiciously empty, and confusingly unrecognizable. She didn't know where she was, nor how she'd gotten there.

She realized she was naked and pulled the blankets up around herself. A bacta patch on her lower stomach brought everything crashing back down on her. Mostly. She remembered the morning in the alleyway, Jeph and his two guards, then nothing. She peaked under the patch and saw an ugly, healing wound.

_I was shot. That's a wound only a gun could deal,_ she realized.

Out the window, a beautiful garden with an elegant, white marble fountain sculpted as swans angled to the four points of the compass in the centre was a story below her. Four cobblestone paths led to different parts of the area, connected to the fountain like parts on a compass. Water poured out of the swans' beaks. Twitch suddenly knew where she was.

_How did Ajax know to come here?_

A knock on the door startled her.

"Come in." The sergeant called, covering herself with blankets again. She winced at the sharp ache that the sudden movements caused. In came the pregnant woman.

"Hello, Kidd." She greeted.

"Saundra, it's been too long. What happened? Is Ajax okay?"

"Ajax is fine. He said you were shot. How do you feel?"

"I'll live. Not the first time I've taken a bolt. And you're pregnant! When is the baby due?" The young girl grinned.

"Oh, within the month. Another girl."

"That's great. I'm so happy for you!" Twitch made to wrap the blankets around herself, but another flash of pain stopped her and she curled her shoulders in.

"If only our meeting was under better circumstances. You flatlined twice before Tsudek got you stable. Your friend came close to doing the same."

"He was hurt?" Twitch became alarmed.

"He was scared. Though, I must admit he hid it well. He called you 'Twitch'?" The young girl chuckled, ignoring the protesting injury,

"My name. A lot happened since we last met. Is Aris alright?"

"She's fine. Though, I have some bad news about where the laser bolt hit you."

"I hate your worried tone. It always means something bad is about to happen." Twitch grimaced before giving Saundra her full attention.

"The shot hit your womb. The damage was very severe. Twitch, I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to have children." The sergeant remained quiet for a long while.

"At least I never planned on having kids anyway." She said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster. She knew at the time she didn't regret it, and doubted she would ever truly be unhappy about the wound, but she also knew that she could change.

"Are you hungry? Dinner is nearly ready." Saundra asked gently.

"You know I love you for not saying the words 'bed rest', right?" Twitch said, pushing the bad news to the back of her mind.

"Take it slow or those will be the only words you'll hear. I'll get you some clothes."

"Thank you. I'm sorry this is how we met after so long."

"Well, at least you're alright."

§ § §

Ajax heard two people coming down the stairs and glanced up. He was surprised to see Twitch in a black belly top showing a bacta patch and sleek black pants.

"I already told you, your other clothes might rub on the bacta patch." Saundra was saying.

"I'd promised myself the fundraising would be the last time I wore civvy clothes." Even Ajax could tell the young girl was joking.

"Oh, well. You'll just have to promise yourself it won't happen after this." When Twitch saw Ajax, it was her turn to be surprised. The trooper was in civilian clothing as well, wearing a black tee-shirt and worn jeans. They were a bit big on him.

"Kidd, Kidd!" A little girl cheered while charging Twitch. The latter was bear hugged, gasping as her torn womb reminded her what had happened, though she hugged back.

"Hey, there, Aris. How are you?"

"I'm taller than you! See?" At the crouch Twitch was in, Aris stood barely an inch higher.

"Wow, you're right! Who gave you permission to grow? Hmm?" Twitch poked the child in her stomach, earning a giggle.

"No one! I'm almost seven now!" Aris jumped to a new topic.

"Really? Well, you're almost half my age!" Twitch acted surprised, smiling as the little girl swelled with pride. A man with light blond hair and a stocky build walked into the room. His blue eyes were tired, but lively.

"Kidd, I hear you got a name. Twitch, was it?" He asked with a booming voice.

"Yep. Suits me just fine, too." The sergeant stood, gripping the man's forearm tightly in greeting. He copied the gesture, then yanked her into a hug. She yelped in protest as his arms engulfed her small frame, but hugged back. He released her and held her shoulders at arm's length to study her face.

"You've gotten big on us! But same entrance as last time, eh? Injured and on the brink of death." It was safe to say there was not a man more lively and kind hearted than Tsudek on all of Naboo.

"I'd hate to disappoint." Twitch answered with a grin. "How else would you recognize me?"

"As a ferocious ten year old who chased off an armed mugger that would have hurt us otherwise." Saundra reminded. Twitch's cheeks darkened and she looked at the floor.

Ajax was watching from the side, confused at how friendly the family was with the girl and curious about the last time she'd visited. He noticed the scars on Twitch's arms and back with a start, staring in near-shock at the marked skin. He wondered how she'd gotten them, but decided against asking. Instead, he thought of something else.

"So, is this your family?" He said.

"Not by blood, my friend." Tsudek replied. "Really, Twitch won't tell us who she's related to."

"When it becomes relevant." The young girl promised.

"What does rel'vant mean?" Aris asked.

"It means something is important or needed for something else. Like water and a cup." Saundra explained.

"So, glass would be revelant to a window?" The girl reasoned.

"Usually. And it's relevant." Twitch corrected.

"That doesn't sound right." Aris decided before walking off to the dining room.

"Ever miss that age where you just did whatever made you happy?" Saundra murmured to everyone.

"Can't say I do."

"Nope." Twitch and Ajax simultaneously said, not in that order. Both adults looked at them strangely. "I didn't really get to do whatever made me happy when I was six. That was pre-live-weapon's-fire training." The older clone explained. Both civilians' eyes went wide at the news.

"Um, Ajax, Kaminoan training methods should probably not be brought up." Twitch warned.

"Right. Sorry..." He glanced apologetically at his hosts before studying the carpet.

"It's fine. So, who's hungry?" Saundra asked.

* * *

A.N. ~ there's Twitch's family away from family. Imagine the sweetest little girl you've ever met, and you basically have Aris. By the way, 'Tsudek' is pronounced 'SOO-deck'. The next chapter will be posted ASAP.


	21. War

_A.N. ~ here's the third last chapter of 'The Lies Continue'. And, it's also seven chapters since the last disclaimer, so know that in this story, I only own my ONs. Bye!_

* * *

"Haar'chak, why won't you work?" Twitch muttered. She tapped the comm of her gauntlet in frustration, hoping to knock a loose wire back in place if that was the problem.

"Anything?" Ajax walked into the living room.

"Static. Either the comm is damaged or something's blocking the signal." She scowled at the device before moving on to a different frequency. More static greeted her. "Kriff. We may just have to suck it up and take a hike." He sat beside her on the couch and looked at the weapon. Twitch opened the gauntlet up and started poking around a spaghetti-like mess of wires. "Nothing is wrong with the comm." she hissed.

"You know what everything in there does?" Ajax asked, impressed.

"Most of it. If they malfunction on the battlefield I need to know how to fix them."

"How's it going?" Saundra entered, swaying slightly with the weight of her swollen belly.

"Are there any local dampeners? Something's jamming the comms." Twitch asked.

"I think I know what's causing the problem. I'll be right back."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't you...sit down?" Ajax protested unsurely.

"I'm alright." The woman assured before walking off.

"You're gonna have to wait 'til she's in labour before she'll admit to sitting down." Twitch joked.

"Oh..." The sergeant realized that pregnancy was new and nearly unheard of for most clones, released from service or not. She would know. Another pang of mixed emotions over her injury assaulted her.

"Ah, the whole pregnant thing is new to me as well." She said.

"What? But...you're a girl... Not that you've actually _been_ pregnant. It just seems like you'd know about this sort of thing."

"I'm fourteen."

"Don't they teach kids this stuff, though?" Ajax scratched the back of his neck.

"Do I look like a civilian to you?" She paused and glanced down at the black clothing. "Oh, right..."

"What happened to maternal instinct?"

"That's when a woman is pregnant or recently had her child. We need to have a talk about female stereotyping." Ajax looked slightly perturbed and crestfallen after that, becoming quiet and self conscious. "You're one of the younger clones, aren't you?" Twitch asked gently, seeing his discomfort.

"Hadn't even finished training when we were released from service." He muttered.

"Fought on Geonosis?" He nodded.

"Well, colour me impressed. The fighting even sent Commander Cody for a trip to Kaliida.

"A lot of other guys like me made it." Ajax deflected.

"Good for you all."

"Try now." Saundra called from somewhere in the house. Twitch switched to her squad frequency and activated it. For a heart-stopping moment, all they heard was static, then a voice as the crackling stopped.

"Jax here." Twitch sagged with relief.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice, Jax." She said.

"Sarge? Sarge! Where in haran have you been? Fives has been giving us death glares ever since you went missing. He and the Captain are out for blood!" Twitch winced at the news.

"I'll fill you in later. For now, is everyone still planet side?"

"Yeah, but the interviews are almost over. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Could you do me a favour and tell Captain Keeli I'm with one of his men? Let him know that Ajax is alright."

"Sure thing. I'll tell both your captains."

"Thanks. We'll standby for incoming transmissions." Twitch cringed at the thought of explaining what had happened to Rex as the call ended

"The Cap is gonna have my hide." Ajax fretted, voicing both their fears.

"You aren't the only one. If Rex doesn't sock me for this, Fives _will_." Twitch agreed.

"Did it work?" Saundra walked in.

"Yes, thank you. We're just waiting for someone to call back. Then we'll be deciding wether or not to hide from our superiors." The young girl joked.

"Wait. Sarge?" Ajax asked.

"The youngest in the army. Relevant to physiology." Twitch elucidated.

"And you didn't tell us." Saundra clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"I don't mind the rank, but hate being called by my tittle."

"Well, Sergeant, you're just going to have to get used to it." The wife teased.

"Noooo." Twitch groaned while laughing.

"Comm is active." Ajax noted. Twitch turned it on.

"Twitch! What in the name of the Force have you been doing?" Rex thundered.

"I missed you too. Jeph was on a revenge streak. I'm bunking with some friends, along with another trooper who was also captured."

"How did he catch _you_?"

"With my guard down. And I'm only admitting it once, so don't expect it to be said again."

"Are you two alright?" Rex asked.

"I'm fine, sir, but Twitch—"

"Is also fine." The sergeant interrupted with a fierce glare. "One question, Rex. Is Tail alright?"

"Well, he won't be going into stasis. Wether he lives or not is still in question." Twitch blanched slightly.

"Oh."

"So, you have a means of transportation?" The Captain asked. Twitch was about to say no when Saundra cut in.

"Yes, Captain, they do. How soon do you want them back?"

"As soon as you can, ma'am. I don't want Twitch blowing up inside your house."

"Your consideration is appreciated."

§ § §

Saundra had sown Twitch's clothing back together as a temporary measure until the sergeant could get a replacement. It was a kind gesture that was appreciated.

Captains Rex and Keeli were waiting as a speeder holding Ajax, Twitch, and Saundra came up. Ajax was embarrassed to be in only his body glove, despite the garment having been cleaned while he was at Ruby district, and wished sorely for his armour once again.

The two soldiers got out, though Rex noticed how Twitch belied to uphold her usual vault out of the vehicle. Instead, she sat on the edge before swinging her legs to the ground. Keeli spotted the bruise forming on Ajax's left jawline.

"What happened?" The two growled in synchronized sternness.

"We were attacked by flying eopies." Twitch said tiredly.

"And one shot you." The beaten trooper received an elbow to the ribs.

"Haar'chak, Ajax, I was trying to _avoid_ Kix finding out!" She hissed.

"Twitch, med tent. Now." Rex ordered.

"Ah, kriff. Thank you, Saundra. It was nice seeing you again." The sergeant groaned.

"You too, Twitch. Try not to die before meeting the baby."

"Heh, no promises."

"And Ajax, I expect you to visit." Said trooper's cheeks became a dark shade of red as Rex and Keeli tried not to laugh at the mothering tone,

"Yes, ma'am." Rex grasped Twitch's ear and she yelped.

"Ow! Rex, no, please! I'm going, I'm going, agh!" Keeli couldn't help but crack a smile at how the same kid who'd faced down death countless times was howling like an ordinary teenager.

"Can I be sure of that?" Rex challenged.

"Check in with Kix! You can _cut off _my ear if he reports I didn't visit the med tent."

"Deal. And if I hear you didn't, I'll use your own arm-blades."

"See? I have _wonderful_ parental figures!" Twitch called to Saundra with a wave as she walked away.

§ § §

"Twitch, this bolt—"

"I know, Kix, I know. Just don't tell anyone, alright?" The medic nodded.

"Cross will need to know."

"I'll tell him. Just please, keep this to yourself."

"Of course. I'm sorry." The medic murmured.

"It's alright. Wasn't planning on having kids, anyway."

"Right. You're cleared for light duty. As long as you take it slow. Too much movement and you could start bleeding internally."

"Oh, fun." Twitch left and slowly made her way back to the tents her squad was using. Most everyone was present, since their interviews were over.

"Twitch! You di'kut, how could you have let Jeph pull that off!" Spitfire greeted.

"You've been eavesdropping again, huh?" Twitch asked.

"Of course I have. What kind of ninja would I be otherwise?"

"Twitch, you alright?" Cross quickly approached her, his usual shyness not present as he checked her over.

"I'll fill you in on all the medical details later. For now, is everyone alright?"

"Fine, less one. Why do you ask?" Wing answered.

"Oh, I got a few local sleemos angry and they've been out for revenge lately. Just worried the leader would try taking it out on you guys."

"Sergeant Twitch?" The young girl turned and saw Ajax.

"Unless there's a mission, call me Twitch." She said.

"Um, uh, a—alright." He stumbled.

"Ajax, are you alright?" He recovered, relieved at a question.

"I'm fine, but there's something you need to see. Down by the river." His tone was serious and she recognized that look most troopers wore when something bad happened. It was the look they wore when seeing their dead brothers after a battle.

§ § §

Near the river bank, Captain Keeli and a medic stood over something. Twitch hurried over with Ajax. She looked over the mangled body with shock. Blood smeared the mud, and the person had been arranged so her arms were stretched out as though she was making a snow angel.

Carved into the small, bloody arms, were the words _'your move, Sgt. Twitch'_. It was a small girl, with coppery blond hair and pudgy features. Twitch backed away, her face white as she stared at the girl's face.

"Oh, kriff. No, not her. Why did he pick her? Oh, kriff." She muttered as she sat down, grabbing her head in her hands. Keeli put his hand on the sergeant's shoulder.

"Twitch, who is this?" She looked up as tears rolled down her face.

"This is Aris. Saundra and Tsudek Lynn's daughter." Ajax looked back to the girl with recognition. He sat down as well, not crying, but certainly horrified.

Twitch wept openly, not embarrassed to be hurt over the loss of the little child. The small, sky-blue eyes that had once sparkled with life and joy were closed forever.

Spitfire, naturally curious and always ready for eavesdropping, saw what happened and slipped back to the squad. Eventually, Twitch finally managed to stop the tears. She wiped her face with her hands before standing.

"Twitch, are you alright?" Keeli asked.

"This feud," she paused to swallow hard before continuing, "this battle, has gone too far. This isn't a grudge; this is war." She turned and started walking back to her tent. Ajax and Keeli had seen the look of pure fury and determination on her face.

"She's out for blood this time, sir. Jeph started a war, and I think she's about to end it." Ajax spoke.

"I think you're right. And I'm willing to bet she's able to do it. We better get the generals before she gets her guns."

§ § §

"Jax, I'll be out for a while. You're in charge. Spitfire, I know you followed me. Don't get any ideas. And don't fight with the others. Jax has the authority to ground you if he sees fit." Twitch ordered without glancing at her squad.

She grabbed her belt, complete with guns and holsters, before turning and preparing to move out. Aris' tiny, lifeless body floated behind her eyes. It was her move, so she was ending it. That was her move, wether she died trying or not.

"Sarge, what's going on? Who's 'Aris', and Tsudek and Saudra?" Jax asked.

"People that don't concern you. I'll be back later."

"Sergeant!" Someone barked. She froze and turned, standing at attention as Skywalker and Ghynna stalked forward.

"Yes, sir?" She replied.

"Where are you going?" Anakin demanded.

"Stopping Jeph before his insane power play kills someone else."

"You can't go running off. You know this." Skywalker growled.

"Sir, I apologize, but Jeph has made this personal."

"What do you plan on doing, hmm? You cannot hope to capture them all." Klairen demanded. Twitch looked down angrily. Realization hit the two Jedi.

"Twitch, no, you can't. That won't make things better." Skywalker implored.

"No, sir, but it'll protect lives. This man nearly wiped out the entire city. He needs to be stopped before someone else dies."

"Stopped, yes. Killed, no." Klairen said.

"So, what happens once he's captured? Death sentence, right?"

"Maybe after a trial, but you don't get to play judge and jury." Ghynna reprimanded.

"Then let me capture him. Force knows, I've done things like this enough times!" The two Jedi exchanged glances.

"On one condition." Skywalker bartered.

§ § §

"I can't believe I agreed to this." Twitch muttered.

"Hi to you, too." Echo grumbled.

"Twitch, I've seen you angry before, but even this is overkill. What happened?" Fives asked as they slipped through an alleyway.

"Jeph pushed his revenge streak far. Way too far. He's resorted to killing little children."

"And I take it you knew this kid?"

"She was like my little sister. Now be quiet. We need to get on the roofs before one of Jeph's bunch sees us. They have guns and know how to use them." Twitch started climbing up a fire escape, quickly and quietly. The two ARCs followed, exchanging glances through their visors.

"So, this is pretty bad?" Echo asked through the private comm in his helmet, Twitch oblivious to the conversation as the helmets' dampeners hid the words from her ears.

"I've never seen her this angry before. Some times come close, but even Rex's faked death didn't do this to her." Yelling at Darys had been scary, but now, instead of yelling, Twitch was holding in her fury and had become a silent killer.

"So, you know each other pretty well?" Echo wasn't one to be prone to jealousy. He, Fives, and Tup were all close friends. The way, however, that Fives spoke about Twitch was...intimate.

"Fairly. And don't even think it. Her brother-by-choice is up at Kaliida, recovering from Geonosis."

"She has a brother-by-choice?" They cleared the roof and started running, low and silent.

"Ah, they don't really say it, but it's pretty obvious. The two get along and argue like brother and sister."

"Who _is_ her family?"

"Whomever she chooses." Fives replied just as Twitch froze and dropped onto her stomach, crawling forward to peak over the edge of the roof. The two men joined her.

"You delivered the girl?"

"Yes. She's lying near the river, just waiting to be found." Another man snickered. Twitch's fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. She reached for her gun, then stopped.

"We need to see if anyone is nearby." She hissed, backing up.

"At least you're fighting with a level head." Fives commented.

"Fives, I may be ready to kill Jeph, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let my anger impair my judgement." She replied, slipping past him to skirt the nearby alleyways and streets.

* * *

_A.N. ~ if I didn't hate myself after killing half of Pyro Squad, I definitely hate myself now. The next chapter will be posted ASAP._


	22. Her Closest Brother

_A.N. ~ here is the second-last chapter of 'The Lies Continue', counting the epilogue. Thus, this is the last actual chapter. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story. Even if you didn't, writing it was good enough. So, without further ado, the final chapter._

* * *

With the area clear, Twitch, Echo, and Fives prepared for a fight. The young sergeant took out her guns.

"Twitch, you know you can't kill them." Echo reminded.

"That's why I'm not shooting to kill. Three of them, three of us, three shots, we get them to Panaka and leave this rock behind. That plan work for you?" They nodded. "Good. Now, let's put these shabuirs behind bars." They got into position, preparing to fire.

"Let's go for the kneecaps. They can't run without those." Fives suggested.

"They can run, but they'll just be captured tired." Echo joked.

"Ready when you two chatter boxes are." Twitch reminded. "I'll get Jeph." She worried Fives, but he knew she would see the mission through as ordered.

"I've got the big man with red hair." Echo decided.

"I'll get the other guy, then. We gotta shoot at the same time. Ready? Now!" Fives barked. Three shots sounded out at the same time, the three men fell. Jeph struggled to his feet and started to hobble away.

"He just couldn't give up." Twitch complained while jamming her guns into their holsters before practically jumping down the fire escape. She dashed after the cruel ringleader and grabbed the back of his shirt, slamming him agains a wall.

"You know what I hate about cowards? They think they can do whatever they like so long as the have a running chance. Guess what. Killing six year olds doesn't give you any room. You're lucky I follow orders, because otherwise, you'd be dead." He elbowed her and she kicked him in the head, dragging him back to the others. Fives and Echo were pinning them just as Twitch came back.

"Twitch, you did the right thing." Fives comforted.

"Spare me the speech. This may be right, but it isn't settled." The ARC blinked at her hostility, hurt by her words and spiteful tone. Jeph chuckled.

"She's a sharp tongued one, this kid. Sharp and silver. Bet you didn't use your tongue much when you found that little brat." He said. Twitch quickly kneed him in the ribs, causing a few of the bones to bruise.

"Don't talk in case I decide to ignore orders, besom. Echo can beat me in a fight, but I doubt he'd do it before I slit your throat."

§ § §

Panaka was surprised to see Twitch and two fully armoured clones with prisoners, despite the forewarning that Anakin Skywalker had given him regarding their appearance.

"Captain, I believe you wanted to have Jeph behind bars?" Twitch asked, saluting.

"Yes. Thank you." The guards accompanying the Captain took Jeph and his men off the trio's hands.

"Oh, by the way, I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding internally." The Sergeant said a moment before she collapsed. Fives gasped before scooping her into his arms. His sister was half conscious.

"Twitch, where are you hurt?" He asked.

"Oh, shot in my lower abdomen. Thank Jeph's henchwoman for that." She closed her eyes sleepily. A couple minutes later, two medics with a stretcher took the girl away. Fives grabbed Jeph's collar.

"If she dies, expect me to visit." He growled.

"Fives, easy. She'll be alright." Echo put a hand on his brother's shoulder. The furious ARC backed off, glaring through his visor as Jeph was taken away. Panaka stayed with them, sighing.

"That's the second time to my knowledge she's been shot on this planet."

"Ah, even _we_ don't know how many times she's been shot and where." Fives replied.

"Physical or locational?" Panaka asked.

"Both. She shares what she wants about herself and leaves people wondering the rest of the time." Echo added.

§ § §

They may have been missing only one man, but Pyro Squad's barrack on the Resolute had never seemed so empty to Twitch. Even losing four of her men hadn't left such an emptiness.

Cross had warned the others Twitch was likely having post-traumatic stress disorder. The sergeant _was_ acting somewhat out of it. No one, not even Adenn, thought the Sergeant was weak, though.

"When will she come out of it?" Spitfire had asked.

"No idea. It could be hours or days. Weeks, even. All depends on what caused it and who it's happening to."

"But...Twitch _will_ be okay, right? She won't be like this forever?" Spitfire was desperate for some assurance that her friend would be alright.

"She could, but I doubt she'll stay down for more than a week." Jax had taken over as sergeant, considering Twitch had said he was in charge when she left with Fives and Echo on Naboo. They also kept her condition quiet. There were plenty of excuses they thought of, but no one really had a solid reason for it.

Wing thought Twitch would come out of it soon.

Jax also thought she'd be alright and worried she'd be demoted or mocked for it.

Chopper thought is was no one's business.

Spitfire was on the same page as Wing and Jax.

Dodge was with Jax, as was Cross.

Kal was thinking what Wing was.

Adenn was, for once, agreeing with Chopper.

Twitch just sat in bed, ate, or absentmindedly beat a punching bag at a gym until her knuckles bled.

Finally, Spitfire had had enough and waited until she and Twitch were alone before leading her older sister off her bunk and punching the older girl. Twitch rubbed her jaw. The momentary flicker of anger and pain in the sergeant's eyes told Spitfire that she wasn't completely gone.

"There, see, you still have some fight left in you." Twitch made to get on her bunk again, but was punched. "Or maybe I'm wrong and you've gone tame. Not too surprising, though, since you've spent so much time near Tail." There was another flash of anger twisting the older girl's features. "Not to mention Echo and Tup. Don't get me started with Fives and Rex." Twitch's fist curled tightly.

_Almost there, _Spitfire thought triumphantly.

"No wonder Echo can take you on! It's amazing you caught _Jeph_, though not so impressive that he caught you, I suppose." Both Twitch's hands were in fists.

_So close! Just a little more..._

I mean, come on! At this point, that dead kid, Aris?, could beat you up!"

_WHAM! _

Spitfire fell over from the hard kick to her head.

"Grief, talk much? Next time you insult the people I care about, don't do it to my face." Twitch growled, speaking for the first time in days.

"You're back! My job here is done. Now, I'm going to go ask Cross if you gave me another concussion." Spitfire cheered.

"For some reason, I don't feel too guilty about it."

"You shouldn't. Tata." The younger girl walked out of the room, holding her head in one hand. Twitch crossed her arms and huffed.

"Why is it she's so right, but so annoying?"

§ § §

"And how, exactly, did you pull _this_ off?" Cross asked while examining the goose egg forming on the right side of Spitfire's forehead.

"Oh, I had a little chat with Twitch. I'm pretty sure she's done moping."

"That or mistook you for a punching bag. You don't have a concussion, but you should probably avoid Twitch until the next firefight. Kix says it's how he avoided a lot of bruises when he put her out to work on her."

"Proven effective." The medic in question was walking by when he'd heard the comment.

"Yeah, how bad could sleeping in the vents be?" Spitfire joked.

"Ah, don't worry. If she hurts you, it'll be when you're awake." Kix said before leaving.

§ § §

Twitch, once again fully aware of her surroundings, was anticipating the Resolute's next stop. The squad had been on a couple missions along with the rest of Torrent Company, and now the men injured on Geonosis were to be returned to active duty.

During sparring, Twitch fidgeted like an addict off cigarettes as she fought with Fives, gauntlets off and a belly top worn. Judging by Ajax's reaction, all she had to worry about were stares and unsettled interactions every now and then. Just as Tail had predicted.

"You know, this may be the first time I've ever seen you willingly wear anything but a body suit." The ARC commented.

"Ah, I decided that I'm used to stares to the point of not caring. Besides; Tail said stares would usually be the worst of it and when Ajax saw them, he was proved right."

"When did Ajax see your scars?" Fives asked suspiciously. The protectiveness he was displaying seemed too good to pass up on and Twitch smirked.

"When I stripped in front of him to prove I had been tortured. And I really hope you know I'm lying. Saundra made me wear a belly top when I had the bacta patch on and he noticed them."

"I hate it when you lie."

"Good thing you only know it a small percentage of the time, then." He glared at her and she tried not to laugh.

"You're evil."

"And partially insane, but hey, everyone has their advantages." Someone tackled the Sergeant from behind and they crashed to the ground. This time, a knee was pressed between Twitch's shoulder blades as Spitfire sat on her, holding the older clone down.

"Hey, Fives, what's the time on the chrono?"

"Ow." Twitch wheezed in response. Despite her best efforts, the Sergeant couldn't get her sister off. There was an agonizing pause before the ARC spoke.

"Half a minute on the chrono. You can let her up, now."

"You know, I think I'll just savour the moment for a while longer. After all, I'm moving on to assassination training after this."

"Fire, how many extra rations have you been sneaking? Get off!" Twitch brought a foot up, connecting with Spitfire's head, and squirmed free. "I think instead of assassination, I'll time you on how fast you can steal some morphine from Kix."

"Aw, feeling a little sore?" The younger clone teased.

"Only in a sense that there's a hole where part of my intestines used to be."

"And it's healed."

"True. Did you end up with a concussion?"

"Just a bump." Twitch glanced at the clock.

"Good to hear. We should be at Kaliida in a few minutes. I'm heading down to the hangar."

"You could just admit that you want to greet him. And admit that he's your brother-by-choice." Spitfire said.

"Thanks for your insight." Twitch half smiled, despite her slight irritation.

"Admit it, you're happy." Fire pressed.

"Guilty as charged. Now, really, I need to go and see if he's in one piece or if I need to break someone's neck." As the sergeant left, Spitfire shook her head.

"I'll never get why she won't admit it."

§ § §

Twitch scanned the incoming troops worriedly. She was looking for both Tail and Hardcase. She finally spotted a familiar, shaven head with blue tattoos.

_Hardcase is alright. Now for the other good news._

"Looking for someone, sweetheart?"

"Rex, will you stop wi—" she stopped short as she turned to see Tail. She came close to hugging him, but just locked forearms as she had with Tsudek.

"Hey, Twitch."

"Tail, you do not have my permission to ever get injured again."

"I'll keep that in mind. So, you actually listen to me?" They both glanced down at the belly top.

"Fives said something like that once. No idea why everyone seems so surprised."

"If it means you'll wear this more often, I'll do whatever you like."

"Um...thanks?"

"It was a compliment. I'm glad you're not hiding them anymore." He smile, tilting his head.

"Eh, a few..._incidents_ happened on Naboo." They started walking.

"I've got time."

§ § §

Twitch wasn't the only one happy. Tail was relieved to be back. He'd assured Twitch she'd done her best to keep him out of stasis after she apologized for not trying hard enough.

No one in the squad gave Twitch a second glance when she wore the belly top, and Tail got a warm greeting from everyone. He was confused when Spitfire had nudged Twitch and given her a meaningful look, but was just plain happy to be back with his brothers, and, he'd admit to the deeper parts of himself, his vod'ika.

During a meal at the Mess, Spitfire had coughed and gotten out 'brother-by-choice' through her hacking. Twitch had jabbed her sister with her elbow and refused to make eye contact with him for a short while.

He allowed himself to hope—_hope_—that it wasn't just Spitfire teasing, but didn't become expectant. Twitch had Fives and Tup. Maybe even Rex. Why would she pay _him_ special attention?

And yet, she _had_ given him special attention. She confided about her scars, put him in charge during the first mission temporarily as she hid to take out the enemies from behind, and made him corporal.

It wasn't favouritism for the last two, he suspected, but her judgement. Tail had no doubt Twitch wouldn't have chosen him if he wouldn't benefit the squad in his current position. Though, his current position was on the floor of the gym as his sergeant waited for him to get up.

"I probably should've remembered sparring was going to hurt." He grunted.

"Sorry. If you wanna stop..." Twitch looked genuinely apologetic.

"Eh, just hungry. Hit the Mess?"

"Sounds better than hitting you." She clipped on her gauntlets and they walked out of the room, one ignoring stares directed at her scars and the other throwing challenging glares at anyone who dared comment.

* * *

_A.N. ~ ever since I thought of Twitch, I wanted her to have a brother-by-choice. At first, I was going to have Rex fit the role, but that didn't work out. I considered a couple other COs, like Wolffe and Keeli, but they just didn't seem likely or right for it._

_I created Splinter for the sole purpose of being Twitch's closest brother, but he also didn't work. Fives, Tup, and Echo were all thought of, then turned down. I didn't realize it myself until the final chapters of this FanFiction, then I noticed the pattern I'd subconsciously set, finally finding Twitch's Brother-By-Choice._

_The epilogue will be up right away._

**MANDO'A DEFINITIONS AND PRONUNCIATIONS: **

**Besom: [BEE-som] ill-mannered lout, unhygienic person, someone with no manners**


	23. Epilogue

_A.N. ~ I'm putting the final author's note of the FanFiction here so I don't spoil the mood. I already said so last chapter, but I'll say again that I hoped you enjoyed 'The Lies Continue'. _

_As for reviewing, I have finished the fic, and not one person has commented. If you are reading this, know that wether you review or not, I will at least know someone has made it this far by looking at the views. _

_If you are one of the people who read all the way to here, thank you so much. Simply seeing that combining the views of 'Sea of Faces' and 'The Lies Continue' adds to over 2,000 is enough. _

_The next sequel's name is 'Happily Ever Afters Don't Exist'. It will be up within 48 hours. Buffy fans will recognize the next words quickly. Goodbye._

* * *

Twitch stood beside Tail while tears streamed down her face. The last body slid down the chute to the centre of the cruiser.

The corporal looked at his sergeant and decided he didn't give a flying kriff wether she was a private or a general. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. He could feel her body trembling.

They'd said the remembrance already, so they stood in silence.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say, now." Twitch spoke with a voice far steadier than she was.

"You don't need to say anything." Tail promised while holding her more tightly.

"Nothing seems as simple anymore. I'm trying to work it out; how to handle things and who to blame and who to trust. It's like the more I think about it, the more confused I get."

"I believe that's what civvies call 'growing up'." He murmured.

"I'd like to stop, then, okay?" A ghost of a smile touched the corporal's lips.

"I know the feeling."

"Does it ever get easy?" Two troopers walked by, staring until Tail chased them off with a look that clearly meant _leave_.

"What, life?" He returned his attention to his sergeant; to his vod'ika.

"Yeah. Does it get easy?" She was still crying, though silently as he held her and they looked at the hatch.

"What do you want me to say?" She looked up at him with the tired, haunted eyes people expect to see in retired war veterans, not young teenagers.

"Lie to me." She sighed. He started walking her back to the barrack.

"It's very simple. The good guys are always kind and brave, easy to tell apart from the bad guys who have menacing looks and bad attitudes. We always beat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after." Twitch let herself believe him for a few moments, giving the smallest smile possible with a short _hmmph_.

"Liar."


End file.
